Details of the stock market manipulation operation have emerged. It was determined that 17 suspects engaged in information-based fraud with Başkent Natural Gas shares in 2021. The suspects were found to have misled investors by setting target prices.

New details of the operation regarding manipulative price movements in the stock market have come to light. In the conducted operation, 17 suspects, including the famous stockbroker Hasan Meşe, were detained. According to Sabah’s report, the arrested suspects conducted manipulative transactions with Başkent Natural Gas Distribution Real Estate Investment Trust (BASGZ) shares between July 27, 2021 and November 8, 2021. Simultaneous operations were carried out in Istanbul, Ankara, Çanakkale, Mardin, Zonguldak, and Konya.

INFORMATION-BASED MARKET FRAUD The suspects identified as engaging in information-based market fraud were accused of violating the capital market law, forming and managing an organization with the aim of committing a crime. Additionally, money and meeting traffic were identified among them.

During the searches conducted at the suspects’ homes and workplaces, 2 laptops and 16 cell phones were seized. 20 NAMES SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL COMPLAINT The Capital Markets Board had filed a criminal complaint against 20 individuals in its weekly bulletin dated December 26, 2024. The names of the individuals subject to criminal complaints are as follows: Hasan Meşe, Kenan Yüksek, Mehmet Özcan, Tayfun Büyük, Ramazan Uslu, Oğuzhan Çakıroğlu, Hasan Bacak, Bektaş Üşümüş, Muhammed Meşe, Hümeyra Meşe, Mahmut Nevfel Elgün, Selman Çakmak, Mehmet Ünal Çevik, Şemsettin Günaltay Erikel, İlhan Küçük, Alaaddin Sevinç, Musa Şimşek, Kurtuluş Doğanay. The CMB had announced a 2-year trading ban on the mentioned names. TARGET PRICE SET On June 11, 2021, when BASGZ shares were listed on the market, it was noted that the share was valued at 15.17 Turkish Liras on July 27, 2021, a date highlighted by the CMB, peaked at 38.66 Turkish Liras on November 2, then experienced a sharp decline to 11.39 Turkish Liras. It was revealed that the suspects who set target prices on social media made posts that could affect investors’ buying decisions.