Turkish police have detained rock musician and civil society activist Haluk Levent and 20 others in an investigation into alleged financial wrongdoing involving AHBAP, the prominent aid organization he founded, Turkish media reported.
AHBAP became one of Turkey’s most prominent civil society organizations through its volunteer network and large-scale relief operation following devastating earthquakes in February 2023, which killed more than 53,500 people.
Its fundraising and aid efforts attracted widespread public support as an alternative to government-led relief operations at the time.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a detention warrant for Levent, 57, who was taken into custody by financial crimes officers in the northwestern province of Bursa on Sunday, according to the BirGün newspaper.
Lawyer Ece Güner was also detained as part of the investigation, BirGün reported.
Prosecutors are investigating suspected violations of Turkey’s associations law as well as alleged money laundering and membership in an organized crime group.
Pro-government media outlets, citing details from the investigation, alleged that Levent placed bets totaling nearly 990 million lira ($21.1 million) between 2020 and 2026 and lost approximately 390 million lira ($8.3 million).
The reports also alleged that 120 million lira ($2.6 million) was transferred from AHBAP accounts to an account belonging to his assistant, Yeliz Kaya.
Prosecutors have not publicly explained the purpose of the funds transfers or presented evidence showing that AHBAP funds were used for gambling.
The same reports said police seized four mobile phones from Levent when he was detained. He reportedly declined to provide investigators with the devices’ passcodes, and as a result the phones were sent for forensic examination.
In a statement on X issued through his lawyers following his detention, Levent denied wrongdoing involving AHBAP and said his personal financial affairs were being improperly associated with the organization.
Sevgili dostlarım,
Gözaltına alınmadan önceki akşam İçişleri Bakan Yardımcısı Bülent Turan'a mesaj attım. 15 gündür de her gün mesaj atmaya devam ediyorum. Dedim ki: "Sayın Bakanım, benim özel hayatımı Ahbap ile ilişkilendirmeye çalışıyorlar. Gelin, çok acil gelin; deprem…
— Haluk Levent ( Ahbap Ekibi ) (@haluklevent) July 13, 2026
He said he had repeatedly contacted Deputy Interior Minister Bülent Turan over the previous 15 days, urging the government to audit AHBAP’s activities from the February 2023 earthquakes to the present and make the findings public.
“They are trying to associate my private life with AHBAP,” Levent said. “Do not link my personal debts and receivables to AHBAP.”
Levent said it would take time for the truth to emerge but insisted that AHBAP would ultimately be cleared of wrongdoing.
He also said he would explain how the investigation began, adding: “Wait for the real bombshell. In my upcoming statements you will see how this process began from the very beginning and you will be astonished.”
Earlier this month Levent announced that he planned to step down as AHBAP chairman after the completion of its current projects and an official audit of the organization.
His announcement followed a court decision imposing a judicial fine of approximately 70 million lira over two checks issued in 2025 that were not honored.
Levent said the payments would be made in installments and maintained that his personal business dealings were unrelated to AHBAP.
Levent, one of Turkey’s best-known rock musicians, founded AHBAP in 2017.
In April 2023 Time magazine named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people. He publicly rejected the recognition because an accompanying essay by novelist Elif Shafak criticized the Turkish government’s response to the earthquakes, saying he did not want his humanitarian work to become part of a political dispute.
Levent was expected to be taken to İstanbul and brought to the İstanbul Courthouse for questioning.
Turkish Minute, with reporting from Agence France-Presse