Court bans gangster Mark Buddle’s lawyers from leaving the TRNC
THE TRNC-based lawyers of gangster Mark Douglas Buddle, who was deported from North Cyprus in July, have been banned from travelling abroad as part of a court case into money laundering claims.
Lawyers Emre Kadri and
Batur Sağlamer, as well as King Auto car showroom owner Halil Kahraman, were brought before Lefkoşa District Court on Tuesday, when more details of their alleged illegal dealings with Mr Buddle were brought to light.
Mr Kadri was charged with “attempting to launder criminal proceeds” and “failure to fulfil the obligation of notification and prevention of money laundering”; Mr Sağlamer was accused of “colluding in laundering criminal proceeds” and “failure to fulfil the obligation of notification and prevention of money laundering”; while Mr Kahraman faced charges of “laundering criminal proceeds”. All three men denied the charges against them.
During the hearing, prosecutor Ahmet Özlemler called police officer Hüseyin Yıldıran, who works in the Financial Crimes Prevention Division, as a witness.
Yıldıran explained that a memo
from the TRNC Legal Department dated March 24, 2022, advised that Mr Buddle was wanted by Interpol for “being a member of an organised crime organisation”, “possession of illegal weapons” and “money laundering”, and that he had brought the proceeds of these crimes to the TRNC to be laundered.
Officer Yıldıran noted that a “suspicious transaction” was reported to the department by a bank on March 1, 2022, regarding Mr Buddle and that an investigation was requested “against him and those connected to him”.
Officer Yıldıran explained that the memo from Interpol said that they suspected Mr Buddle of using his bank accounts to hide “illegal wealth obtained from criminal activities” overseas and in Australia, and that he had made his fortune “mostly through importing and distributing drugs” and that he was the “international leader” of the “Comanchero” motorcycle gang.
Officer Yıldıran told the court Mr Buddle entered the TRNC on July 7, 2021, and that with “Emre Kadri’s instruction” accounts were opened in Mr Buddle’s name at a local bank with a total of $82,000 in cash.
He said detectives determined that Mr Kadri also helped Mr Buddle to “buy three luxury apartments in Girne” for a total of $1.2 million.
Officer Yıldıran explained that Mr Kadri was also present as his lawyer during the signing of a contract for him to lease a petrol station in Girne for five years at a cost of £8,000 per month.
Officer Yıldıran stated that Mr Kadri tried to withdraw the money remaining in Mr Buddle’s accounts on July 13, 2022, the first working day after Mr Buddle was deported on July 10, 2022, but could not because the accounts had been “blocked by the bank”.
Indicating that Buddle’s accounts were examined, Officer Yıldıran noted that it was determined that $1.2 million “was not in the accounts”.
He told the court that it is believed the “money obtained from the crime in question entered the TRNC illegally and/or was laundered using the accounts of other persons” and that “extensive investigations are continuing in this regard”.
Officer Yıldıran stated that on August 26, 2022, a bank reported a “suspicious transaction” by Mr Kadri to the police because it had asked him repeatedly for documentation regarding wire transfers coming into his accounts from abroad “but none was provided”.
Referring to Mr Sağlamer, Officer Yıldıran said that he “was a witness in the contract prepared” for the three flats bought by Mr Buddle for $1.2 million.
‘PrOCEEDS OF CrIME’
He said that a company in İskele called Az Bay Tourism Ltd, which is the subject of a “proceeds of crime” investigation, lists Mr Buddle as its “secretary” and Mr Sağlamer as its “director”.
Officer Yıldıran noted that two payments of £90,000 each had been deposited in the company’s accounts.
He also said Mr Sağlamer had represented Mr Buddle at a hearing at the İskele Family Court on March 24, 2022, where he asked for his client to be exempted from a requirement to produce a “certificate of bachelorhood” from Australia so that he could marry in the TRNC.
The matter was later reported to the Immigration Department as a “sham marriage”.
Turning to the third suspect, Halil Kahraman, Officer Yıldıran said that from February 2022 onwards he ensured that “large sums of money” were deposited into the accounts of a company called İlkay & Şengül Kahraman Ltd., of which Mr Buddle is named as a “major shareholder and director”.
Officer Yıldıran told the court that Mr Kahraman had withdrawn cash from the company’s accounts “a few days before a proceeds of crime investigation was launched” against it.
He also noted that in March of this year Mr Kahraman transferred £150,000 from a company he owns called Seasons Ltd to Mr Buddle, that Mr Kahraman was a witness at Mr Buddle’s marriage to a TRNC citizen on April 25, 2022, and that on June 20, 2022, he transferred a Mercedes into the name of the person who Mr Buddle married.
He also said that the petrol station in Girne known as “Kahraman 2” that was leased by Mr Buddle was “run by Mr Kahraman”, and that Mr Buddle had bought a “luxury Cadillac” from Seasons Ltd worth £125,000, which he had paid for in cash, and given it to the previous leaseholder of the petrol station to “get him out”.
Following Mr Buddle’s deportation, Officer Yıldıran said that Mr Kahraman transferred a Bentley car belonging to Mr Buddle into his ownership, and had attempted to transfer a “bulletproof Land Cruiser” belonging to Mr Buddle into the name of another person.
Officer Yıldıran said that the offices of Mr Kadri, Mr Sağlamer and Mr Kahraman were raided by police on Monday, September 12.
‘unSIGnED PrOPErTY COnTraCT’
During the search of Mr Kadri’s office, an “unsigned property contract” worth £400,000 in the name of Mr Buddle and another Australian citizen was found.
During the search of Mr Kahraman’s offices documents in Mr Buddle’s name were found, while the Bentley and Land Cruiser were found at the King Auto showroom.
Judge Jale Ergüden ordered that the suspects be released on bail and banned from leaving the country pending trial.