The details of the stock market manipulation operation have emerged. It was determined that 17 suspects engaged in insider trading in Başkent Natural Gas shares in 2021. The suspects were found to mislead investors by providing target prices.

New details on manipulative price movements in the stock market operation have emerged. In the operation conducted, 17 suspects, including renowned stockbroker Hasan Meşe, were detained. According to Sabah’s report, the detained suspects engaged in manipulative transactions in Başkent Natural Gas Distribution Real Estate Investment Partnership (BASGZ) shares between July 27, 2021, and November 8, 2021. Operations were carried out simultaneously in Istanbul, Ankara, Çanakkale, Mardin, Zonguldak, and Konya.

INFORMATION-BASED MARKET FRAUD
The suspects who were found to engage in information-based market fraud were charged with violating the capital markets law and forming and leading an organization to commit a crime. Monetary transactions and meetings were identified among the suspects.

During the searches conducted at the suspects’ homes and workplaces, 2 laptops and 16 mobile phones were confiscated. The digital materials were taken to the security department for examination.
CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS AGAINST 20 PEOPLE
The Capital Markets Board filed a criminal complaint against 20 individuals in its weekly bulletin dated December 26, 2024. The names of the people against whom a criminal complaint was lodged 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 announced a two-year trading ban on the said individuals. TARGET PRICES GIVEN
It was determined that the BASGZ shares, which went public on June 11, 2021, were valued at 15.17 lira on July 27, 2021, when the CMB noticed them, peaked at 38.66 lira on November 2, and then experienced a sharp decline to 11.39 lira. It was revealed that the suspects who provided target prices on social media made posts that could influence investors’ buying decisions.