Gülben Ergen Admits to Donation to Ahbap Association: 'I Am Morally Distressed'

Singer Gülben Ergen gave her statement as part of the investigation into the Ahbap Association. Ergen stated that despite making a donation to the association, she did not inquire about the use of the funds, did not supervise, and did not investigate.

I personally did not conduct any inquiry. I did not exercise any supervision in this matter. I also did not conduct any investigation.

Ergen stated that she did not receive a fee for her concert during the earthquake period and was unaware of the fate of the collected funds. Ergen claimed that she had no prior acquaintance with Haluk Levent and Oğuzhan Uğur before the February 6 earthquakes. As the founder and president of the Children Smile Association, Ergen reported that they built 17 schools in 11 provinces after the earthquakes. Ergen admitted to sending different amounts of aid to the Ahbap Association from her personal account during the earthquake period, in addition to AFAD and the Red Crescent. She stated that she tagged all institutions and organizations in her social media posts. Ergen defended that she did not specifically direct aid to the Ahbap Association but rather supported aid campaigns in general. Ergen stated that she only communicated with Haluk Levent during a free concert organized during the earthquake period and had no other relationship or intimacy with him. Ergen also stated that she communicated with Oğuzhan Uğur only because she participated in a program about violence against women and child abuse after the earthquake, and she had no other relationship with Uğur.