Suspect in fraud probe claims 150,000 lira monthly income despite 29 million lira found at home

Hilmi Tuna Kuriş, the brother of alleged crime organization leader Alihan Kuriş, has been arrested in Turkey as part of an investigation into financial crimes. Kuriş faces charges including "establishing and leading a criminal organization," "money laundering," "fraud against public institutions," and "violating tax laws."

During searches of Kuriş's properties, authorities discovered 200 kilograms of gold bars and millions of lira in foreign currency. At his home in Küçük Çamlıca, approximately 29 million lira worth of foreign currency was found. Kuriş, however, claimed his monthly income was around 150,000 lira, stating he works as an interior designer. He attributed the large sum of cash at his residence to accumulated family savings and inheritance, with some funds derived from personal business activities.

Further investigations revealed that a company, Arden Gıda İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi, transferred from Alihan Kuriş to Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and later to Yusuf Bulut, had a banking transaction volume exceeding 6.5 billion lira since 2023. Kuriş denies any involvement or knowledge of the company's transactions after transferring his shares, claiming his uncle and father managed its operations.

Financial inquiries also uncovered significant money transfers between Kuriş and Alihan Kuriş's assistant, totaling over 767,000 lira. Kuriş explained these payments were for the maintenance and landscaping of his grandfather's grave. Additionally, a 350,000 USDT cryptocurrency transfer was detected from an account linked to Kuriş's childhood friend, Erhan Yılmaz, to accounts associated with Kuriş, raising suspicions of tax evasion. Kuriş described his travels with Yılmaz as normal trips between childhood friends.