The scandal surrounding arms manufacturer Özyurt Arms is no longer limited to unauthorized ammunition production but also about blackmail and corruption in the media.
Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) investigators have identified money transfers between the firm and Beyaz TV anchor Tahir Sarıkaya, who is under arrest for allegedly blackmailing media personalities.
The probe determined that Serdar Özyurt, a partner at Özyurt Arms, had transferred large sums of money to Sarıkaya on 64 occasions. In his statement to the prosecutor’s office, Sarıkaya said he received these funds in exchange for publishing news stories, conducting PR work, and posts on Instagram about Özyurt. Sarıkaya was arrested on July 4.
According to the MASAK report, another person with whom Sarıkaya had financial transactions was İsmail Çanak, the program coordinator at Beyaz TV. A total of 300 financial transactions were identified between Sarıkaya and Çanak, who also has ties with Özyurt Arms.
According to official commercial registry records, Serdar Özyurt’s brother, İhsan Özyurt, sold Asron Technology — a defense industry company he founded in Aug. 2025 — to İsmail Çanak in March 2026. Three months later, Çanak returned the company shares to Özyurt. In a press release, the prosecutor’s office said that Çanak served as Serdar Özyurt’s secretary. Çanak has also been working at Beyaz TV since 2016.
Özyurt Arms was featured in a Turkey in Depth report regarding an investigation into unauthorized ammunition production.
Özyurt Arms was accused of producing 155 mm artillery ammunition illegally at its factory in Ankara, and company executives appeared before a judge in June at the first hearing of the case.
