Belarusians with diplomatic passports featured in a high-profile criminal case in Turkey
Three citizens of Belarus with diplomatic passports are mentioned in the investigation materials concerning Alikhan Kurish — a religious figure and leader of the conservative Islamic movement "Süleymancılar". Turkish law enforcement suspects the leaders of the movement of creating a criminal organization, money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes, Reform.news noted in the Turkish press.
The Ankara Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for 43 people. On August 13, as part of the investigation, 38 people were detained, including Kurish himself. Some of the suspects are outside of Turkey.
During the investigation, detectives drew attention to several cars used by people from Kurish's entourage. According to Turkish media, three of them were officially registered in the name of the former Turkish Minister of Interior Affairs, Idris Naim Şahin, reports Turkish publication A Haber.
One of these cars, license plate number 34 S 7815, was used to transport three Belarusians with diplomatic passports.
According to the case materials, the Belarusians arrived in Turkey via Bodrum Airport on August 6. The automatic license plate recognition system recorded them on August 21 in a car moving between the resort areas of Güvercinlik and Torba.
Later, according to the investigation, the Belarusians were transported to Bursa, where they were transferred to another car. After that, they were taken to the airport. On August 22, all three flew from Turkey to Minsk.
Investigators also found that two SIM cards, allegedly used by the Belarusians, were activated on August 4 in the name of Ömer Yücel — a person connected to the figures in the investigation.
The case also includes an older episode related to Belarus. Back in 2011, Yücel's business partner, Nevzat Büküm, reported to Turkish authorities about a blackmail scheme using women brought from Belarus. According to the investigation materials, the women were secretly filmed, and the recordings were used to pressure people and influence tender results.
According to Turkish media, the investigation is currently examining a possible connection between this old scheme and the organization's current structure, including through the people and vehicles involved in the case.
However, the mere presence of three Belarusians in the investigation materials does not mean they are suspects or accused. In the published materials, they are mentioned primarily in connection with their movement and the transport they used.
For several years now, Bodrum has been a vacation spot for representatives of Alexander Lukashenka's inner circle. For trips there, the government business jet EW-301PJ is also used. On August 21, this plane was in Dalaman and then arrived in Bodrum; its departure to Minsk was scheduled for August 24.
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