Falyalı murder in Cyprus: A strange mafia story

It’s been weeks since he was killed, but the assassination of Halil Falyalı remains a mystery as “A strange mafia story.” Was there behind the “execution” assassination of Halil Falyalı a move to achieve a change of the “baron” of the criminal organization in Northern Cyprus? Or was Falyalı, who came to the Turkish agenda with social media posts of the notorious criminal gang chieftain Sedat Peker, was silenced as he allegedly knew a lot?

After the “execution” on February 8th, many allegations were raised. The assassination of Falyalı was shared with the claim that he was “silenced” from the very first moment. He allegedly had much more of the videos that Falyalı Peker posted. It was even claimed that Peker acquired those video recordings from Falyalı’s confidants.

Falyalı was as well on the American red list of wanted criminals. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is an unrecognized state and there is no judicial cooperation agreement with any country except Turkey. The agreement with Turkey, on the other hand, apparently only works in Turkey’s favor, that’s another story.

Very special relations in Northern Cyprus

Even if Falyalı could not be arrested for charges brought against him by the United States, due to the unrecognized state status of the TRNC, could it be said it was his “over confidence” that prevented him to realize such a deadly plot against him despite he was someone with very special relations, from the president, prime minister and ministers at the top of politics to the local authorities at the bottom?

The echoes of the assassination of Falyalı, who had businesses in many areas, from the notorious drug trade to legal and illegal betting, forced promissory note signing to use of brute force, continues. Falyalı, who had an extensive knowledge and reportedly an archive of blackmail tapes, was claimed to have been silenced. Who might take his place? There are allegations.

Has Çakıcı took over?

The cake is big. One of the most prominent actors was placed aside. Is emptiness possible? It is alleged that someone who has the close support of a political party on the far right in Turkey, who has just been released from prison where he was placed on “leader of a criminal gang” charges, has already moved to Northern Cyprus. Alaattin Çakıcı reportedly took over a casino in the TRNC.

Journalist Tolga Şardan, who we know from his articles on “deep mafia” issues in Turkey, claimed to have “learned” from an “unnamed source” that Falyalı, who a while before he was killed was detained briefly for some unwelcome behavior as part of the investigation into “beating an employee.” During his time under detention, he was reportedly largely “not comfortable”, so it was decided by the people at the top to “completely eliminate” him instead of “containing” him… Who made that decision?

Who? It was claimed that Halil falyalı was someone serving under Scott William Matersson, a British citizen who was the real “baron” of such illicit affairs headed by particularly online betting system in Turkey. The answer to the question of who will replace Falyalı can only be given by Matersson, accordingly.

“Sweet life” paradise

Turkey banned casinos in 1998. Although gambling is still largely free in a sense through the privatized National Lottery, in 2006 the Turkish government also banned online gambling, including those based abroad. Starting in 1998, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus quickly became the new operational area of Turkish gambling barons. Luxury hotels mushroomed and. Besides legal casinos, Northern Cyprus largely became an important center of online and virtual gambling, including “bet office”, although illegal, after 2006.

Strange enough, the new Turkish Cypriot government that was formed last week, declared that it would complete preparations and legalize soon bet offices in Northern Cyprus.

The political, economic and especially legal disconnection of the Turkish Cypriot-controlled part of the island from the international community, encouraged the Turkish underground dens of power, from the smallest to the bigger ones, to move to the island, while at the same time creating an “indirect” but serious income opportunity for the Turkish Cypriot people. The need for unqualified personnel of the service sector, such as touristic facilities in Cyprus and even Turkey, has started to be provided from eastern Europe with cheap, short-term and mostly social security-deprived staff under the name of “intern”. The process further worsened with cheap labor from Turkey, particularly from the Hatay area, while hotels mushroomed and the sector developed rapidly, transforming Northern Cyprus from a place of “cheap shopping” with 4-5 star luxury hotels and casinos to all kinds of requirements of a “sweet life” paradise, including cheap gambling, bars, entertainment places and women trafficking. Nothing could have been achieved without the support of politics.

Falyalı and political financing

Starting at the end of 1998, especially center and center-right politics, but also including the far right – it becomes all the clearer when the life and relations of Halil Falyalı, is examined that political support was purchased in exchange for support for this sector from all colors of politics.

On the one hand, almost all of the center and center-right politicians were at Falyalı’s funeral, with the exception of President Ersin Tatar – who also issued a message of condolence that made Falyalı look like a hero and on the other hand as proved with the photos of dinners and allegations of financial support for Şener Levent, a journalist who owns the “Africa” newspaper and who has always opposed the existence of the TRNC, even a federal solution, and advocated a return to the Cyprus Republic and the system of 1960.

Perhaps Faralyalı employing more than 1600 people at his Ambassadors hotel and other establishments – a figure quite high in Cypriot conditions – and generous donations from sports clubs to NGOs, and the fact that his family has a history of links to the Turkish Cypriot Resistance Organization (TMT) were all factors that made him being considered some sort of a “folk hero”…

Politicians are silent

Another important issue, however, was claims of generous contributions to the financing of politics, particularly election campaigns, that so far were mostly not transparent. Especially to the National Democratic Party and other right-wing parties, groups that were not so vociferous regarding their electoral campaign expenses. wasn’t it meaningful that the financing of the construction of the monument of the late Founding President Rauf Denktas was sponsored by the casinos organization while the government was inadequate and incompetent, and that the Denktas family accepted it with thanks?

Isn’t it meaningful that only President Ersin Tatar among the politicians announced that he had received no support from Falyalı in support of his election campaign, but no statement from any political party denying the allegations?

Will Peker be returned?

Meanwhile, the post-2015 crisis between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates has been replaced by fresh and warm winds of restoration in recent days, bringing the extradition of Sedat Peker, the leader of the criminal organization, one of the most serious headaches of the Turkish administration, to Turkey. Would Turkey want Peker extradited? Or would Turkey prefer Peker to reside in the UAE, preferably with his electronic communication banned and in some luxury residence, under de facto house arrest?

If he was extradited to Turkey, and if survived somehow his time under detention, and if he went on trial, I wonder to how many people he knew he could be a serious threat? After all, rather than a Peker causing trouble at home, a Peker under control abroad, at least for a while, probably is what Ankara’s strong decision makers might desire.