Controversial Testimony of a Secret Witness in the Polat Family Money Laundering Case

In the high-profile case of money laundering and illegal betting, in which the famous Polat family is also accused, the secret witness of the case under the alias “Mert” appeared in court for the first time and spoke about a connection between Engin Polat and the manager of an illegal betting website.

This case involves 28 defendants, including Dilan Polat and her husband Engin Polat, who are facing charges such as “establishing and managing an organization to commit crimes,” “money laundering,” and “violating sports betting laws.” In today’s session, Engin Polat and Sezgin Polat were present, but Dilan Polat was absent.

Key Testimony of the Secret Witness

According to journalist Emrullah Erdinç, the most important part of today's session was the presence of the secret witness named ‘Mert’; the person who first raised the money laundering allegations and sparked the investigation. He joined the court via the SEGBIS remote video communication system and testified with a voice changer.

“I only saw Engin Polat once. I was never directly witness to his activities, but I’ve heard that there is a connection between him and Derkan Başer, the manager of an illegal betting website.”

Allegation of Collaboration with Betting Site

The witness claimed that in 2018, he was a guest of Derkan Başer in Ukraine, and at that time he had access to the exchanged messages between Başer and Engin Polat. He said:

“I was personally active in the illegal betting field. I met Engin Polat in 2017 in Cyprus at the upper floor of Veysel Şahin’s office. We had no meeting after that, but I know that from 2018 onward, he and Derkan Başer collaborated in the financial operations of the betting website. I can also present documents and messages I have to the court.”

He added that the financial activities related to the betting site were managed through overseas accounts and that Engin Polat actively participated in this process.

Polat Family's Reaction to the Allegations

The Polat family’s lawyer, Ms. Sevinç Horoz, rejected the claims, stating: “The witness did not mention any criminal act directly committed by Engin Polat. What he said is based on hearsay and assumptions. My client has officially left the country only once.”

Engin Polat also defended himself saying: “All of the secret witness's statements are lies and I do not accept them.” Sezgin Polat also rejected the testimony in a similar manner.

Arrest History and New Court Decisions

Dilan Polat and Engin Polat, who had previously served 9 months in prison for money laundering and tax evasion, are now attending court on conditional release. They and 26 other defendants face prison sentences ranging from 20 to 40 years.

In today's session, the court ruled to continue judicial oversight of the defendants' assets, but the appointed custodians were removed from company management roles and assigned only supervisory duties. The seizure of assets of the defendants’ first- and second-degree relatives was also lifted. The next hearing of the case will be held on November 12.