Timur Soykan
On 8 February 2022, Cemil Önal, the finance director and murder suspect of illegal betting kingpin Halil Falyalı, who was killed in the TRNC, was apprehended in the Netherlands 16 months ago. After providing a 120-page testimony to Dutch and US intelligence and turning informant, Cemil Önal was released. He spoke to Ayşemden Akın, Editor-in-Chief of Bugün Kıbrıs Gazetesi, and made numerous claims, ranging from Halil Falyalı’s blackmail archive to the betting baron’s political connections.
HE EXPOSED THE MONEY LAUNDERING NETWORK
Cemil Önal also described the flow of dirty money from illegal betting. He claimed that funds were moved from companies in Latin America to South Cyprus and then to the TRNC. He also explained how money was transferred via currency exchange offices in Turkey. His allegations regarding the illegal betting money in Europe were particularly striking.
According to Önal, “Illegal betting funds collected in Europe were transferred to Belarus, then to Dubai and South Cyprus. At this point, the name Mustafa Egemen Şener comes up. Mustafa Egemen Şener is the owner of Stantoto Betting and is listed as the legal owner of H Casino in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. According to Önal, he is a partner of Halil Falyalı in this casino. H Casino quickly became the country’s largest casino due to the laundering of illegal betting proceeds. The funds generated from illegal betting in Europe were laundered through H Casino and then transferred to Dubai and Cyprus. In addition to H Casino, Mustafa Egemen Şener also operates other casinos in hotels in Minsk and has founded two companies in Georgia. Şener is a key figure in Halil Falyalı’s illegal betting empire.”
THE SAME NAMES APPEAR IN THE PAYFIX CASE
The names of Mustafa Egemen Şener and Halil Falyalı are also linked to a major case in Turkey. In March 2024, a lawsuit was filed against the electronic payment company Payfix. The indictment claimed that Payfix was established to transfer Halil Falyalı’s illegal betting funds.
Journalist Murat Ağırel detailed this case in a four-part series in Cumhuriyet newspaper titled “Who Is Turning This Multi-Billion Lira Wheel?”
In the indictment of the case, where Payfix owner Erkan Kork is the primary suspect, the name Mustafa Egemen Şener mentioned in Önal’s statements appears repeatedly. Kork and the other suspects were asked if they knew Şener and Falyalı. All denied knowing them.
Secret witnesses named “Ihlamur” and “Cesur” gave detailed statements in the indictment, claiming that the real owners of Payfix are Halil Falyalı and Mustafa Egemen Şener. They stated, “Erkan Kork is affiliated with these individuals and manages the Payfix company on their behalf.” It should be noted that these are allegations made by secret witnesses and cannot be considered evidence unless proven. Journalist Erk Acarer also mentioned in a YouTube video that Mustafa Egemen Şener used the Payfix system. This allegation is also addressed in interrogations.
Now, the confessions of informant Cemil Önal further support these claims. The Payfix indictment includes a particularly scandalous allegation.
‘THEY BOUGHT A BANK AND LAUNDERED DIRTY MONEY’
In 2023, Payfix purchased BankPozitif from the Israeli company Tarshish Hapoalim Holding. According to the MASAK report and the indictment: “Between 24 August and 8 September 2023, a total of 718,485,000 TL was transferred from the accounts of Erkan Kork and Payfix to the account of Bank Hapoalim BM. However, on 13 September 2023, the date of the official transfer, 731,407,172 TL equivalent to $27,251,249 and $1,017,199 (27,301,000 TL) were transferred back from the accounts of Bank Hapoalim BM and Tarshish Hapoalim Holdings and İn. to the accounts of Erkan Kork and Payfix. The nature of these transactions remains unclear and requires explanation.”
In other words, MASAK and the prosecution determined that the money used to purchase the bank was returned to Erkan Kork just a few days later. Thus, there are allegations that a bank in Turkey was purchased with laundered money. Following this, Erkan Kork was asked: “Why was a larger amount of money returned from the accounts of Bank Hapoalim BM and Tarshish Hapoalim Holdings and İn. to you and Payfix on the date of purchase of BankPozitif? Please explain…”
‘I TRANSFERRED IT TO REPAY LOANS’
Kork responded: “According to the contract, the buyer, Payfix and I, transferred about $27.25 million to BankPozitif to cover its debts to Bank Hapoalim and other banks. These funds were held in Bank Hapoalim accounts. When the official transfer occurred on 13 September 2023, the same amounts were transferred back to our accounts in accordance with the contract. These funds belong to Payfix and me. They were temporarily used to pay off loans and then returned.”
However, the police and prosecution did not find this explanation satisfactory.
If the allegations are true, it means a bank in Turkey was purchased using dirty money from illegal betting operations run by Halil Falyalı and Mustafa Egemen Şener. Buying a bank is no easy task. One must obtain approvals and licences from numerous institutions including intelligence agencies, the Central Bank, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), and the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK). This suggests that Erkan Kork could not have acquired the bank alone while under investigation for illegal betting and money laundering. He must have deep political and bureaucratic ties.
It is worth recalling that we previously published footage showing Erkan Kork gifting jewellery at the controversial BDDK wedding of BDDK Deputy Chairman Mustafa Aydın.
Erkan Kork gave a gift at the BDDK executive’s wedding. Yet, the investigations and prosecutions remain limited to Erkan Kork. In reality, the criminals behind the scenes must also be identified and brought to justice.
Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled ‘Karaparayla banka aldılar’, published in BirGün newspaper on April 20, 2025.