Former journalist faces charges of influence peddling
A case has been filed against the former journalist Veyis Ateş, who is alleged to have demanded 10 million euros from the fugitive businessman Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, accused of money laundering.
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Ateş, who was forced to resign from Habertürk after the release of audio recordings by the former journalist, current Turkey Workers' Party (TİP) MP Ahmet Şık, has been accused of "influence peddling," and a prison sentence of two to five years is sought against him.
According to the account provided by Sözcü columnist İsmail Saymaz, following Süleyman Soylu's replacement by Ali Yerlikaya as the Interior Minister following the May 2023 elections, the file regarding Ateş, which had been pending for three years, was taken off the shelf. The investigation was then taken over by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Terrorism and Organized Crime Investigation Bureau.
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Subsequently, the prosecution had the audio recordings between Korkmaz and Ateş deciphered.
Following the deciphering of the audio recording, Veyis Ateş was summoned for questioning on December 12, 2023 as a suspect.
During his statement, Ateş claimed that the conversations were manipulated, stating, "I have previously met with Korkmaz. However, this recording is a manipulated version of my conversations, pieced together. It may have been obtained from Korkmaz or other conversations. Even our President's voice has been imitated using artificial intelligence. A conversation I did not have is being presented in this manner."
Denying any involvement in facilitating anyone's prosecution or investigation, Ateş stated, "I did not engage in influence peddling. I did not promise anything or request anything in exchange for any legal guarantees."
The İstanbul 1st Criminal Peace Court released Ateş under judicial control measures. However, the prosecution completed the indictment on January 3, charging Ateş with influence peddling.
The indictment claimed that Ateş acted as an intermediary in exchange for material benefits, referring to this as "arbitration," as evidenced by the audio recording, witness statements, and WhatsApp conversations.
Well-known journalists Sevilay Yılman and Fatih Altaylı appear as witnesses in the case file. The first hearing in the trial is scheduled for June 28 at the İstanbul 40th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Sezgin Baran Korkmaz had confirmed the incident
In the aftermath of the release of the audio recordings, İsmail Saymaz had Veyis Ateş on a program on Halk TV on June 18, 2021. Ateş revealed during the program that, at the request of Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, he had met with then-Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu.
Korkmaz, who joined the broadcast, also stated that Ateş had contacted him through his lawyer and described their conversations as follows:
"He said he could resolve this matter for me, that a lobby was targeting me, that he was an intermediary, and when I asked how this would happen, he said we needed to pay the amount they wanted. When I asked what the amount was, he openly stated that it was 10 million euros.
"When these events unfolded, with people being detained and all, I was trying to understand what was going on. You know, sometimes you cling to hope... Veyis Ateş said it wasn't to resolve the legal problem but that the problem was caused by a clique and a lobby, and that he would give them 10 million euros. 'There's a lobby and clique targeting you, and they want this money,' he said."
(HA/PE)