Turkey freezes assets of 46 firms, 42 people in fund probe

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Turkey froze the assets of 46 legal entities, 18 funds and 42 individuals in a fund investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced the measures on social media on Friday. The probe covers alleged organized crime, fraud, money laundering and capital market violations.
Key Facts
- 46 legal entities, 18 funds and 42 individuals had their assets frozen in the fund investigation.
- 37 suspects with no prior restrictions were placed under judicial control with a travel ban.
- The investigation is led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Money Laundering Investigation Bureau.
- The probe covers alleged crimes including forming an organization to commit crime, aggravated fraud, money laundering and capital market law violations.
- Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced the measures on his social media account.
Asset Freeze Measures
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office froze the assets of 46 legal entities, 18 funds and 42 individuals. The freeze covers transfers, sales, donations, mortgages, pledges, account closures, high-value cash withdrawals, EFT/transfers and other asset-reducing transactions. Capital market instruments were also frozen, and suspicious transactions must be reported to judicial authorities without delay. The measures were announced by Justice Minister Akın Gürlek on his social media account.
Investigation Scope
The investigation is conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Money Laundering Investigation Bureau. It covers alleged crimes including forming an organization to commit crime, aggravated fraud, money laundering and capital market law violations. Money outflows from funds between July 1 and August 16 were examined starting from the highest amounts. 37 suspects with no prior restrictions were placed under judicial control with a travel ban.
Government Response
Justice Minister Gürlek stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is closely following the fund investigation. Gürlek said the priority is to protect citizens' rights, prevent exploitation of their savings and remedy grievances within the law. He vowed to trace the money and assets regardless of which account or company they were transferred to.