Mass arrests in major companies of Turkish media empire

Turkey has launched an unprecedented operation, resulting in the seizure of 121 companies belonging to the media conglomerate Can Holding, including major outlets such as Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT.

The Turkish prosecutor’s office has taken control of the conglomerate. As part of a large-scale criminal investigation, arrest warrants have been issued for 10 key figures within Can Holding, who are accused of “forming a criminal organization,” “smuggling,” “fraud,” and “money laundering.”

Searches are ongoing across all company premises. According to an official statement from the prosecutor’s office, a complex structure was created within the holding to systematically commit crimes under the guise of legitimate business operations. The companies were used for intricate financial schemes involving billions of lira from unknown sources. Charges include “tax evasion through forged documents and transactions without invoices,” “legalization of criminal proceeds,” and more.

The companies’ assets have been transferred to the management of the Turkish Deposit Insurance Fund.