Dilan Polat and her husband, accused of “money laundering” and “establishing an organization to commit crimes,” and charged with causing the state a tax loss of 295 million lira, have made a comeback on social media. Dilan Polat started using expressions like “I wish it would end so we could go home” in her posts from the courthouse door. Trying to create the impression that they have been acquitted despite facing serious charges, Dilan Polat could face a prison sentence of up to 5 years according to a new investigation. The Polat couple could be tried for indirectly acknowledging the tax offense they committed, such as issuing fake invoices, and face a sentence of 3 to 5 years. The expert report obtained during the investigation indicated that the 7 companies examined caused a loss of 295 million lira to the public. It was previously reported with official documents that the Polat couple managed a significant amount of money through power of attorney granted to their 85 to 90-year-old family elders by establishing companies, even at the time of their arrest. Dilan and her husband Engin Polat, along with 28 other defendants, are currently being tried in the Istanbul Anatolia 2nd Criminal Court for charges of “establishing and leading a criminal organization,” “money laundering,” and “violating the Law on the Regulation of Football and Other Sports Competitions and Betting and Games of Chance.” Twelve of the suspects, including Dilan and Engin Polat, were arrested on November 4, 2023. Dilan Polat was released on August 19 after being granted a trial without arrest. Dilan Polat announced that she would be careful with her social media posts and embrace a normal life after her release. However, shortly after her release, Polat started sharing posts with expensive watches, branded clothing, and expensive sunglasses. Demonstrating a certain familiarity with social media use, Polat claimed that they were constantly praying in prison by sharing images of her bruised knees. Despite being released, the Polat couple, acting as if they had been acquitted, recently went to court for a new investigation. The Polat couple and 6 other suspects are under a separate investigation for the crime of “tax law violation.” During this investigation, Dilan and Engin Polat went to the Anatolia Justice Palace to give their statements. Dilan Polat was seen posting, “I wish it would end so we could go home…” from her social media account while waiting to give her statement. Dilan Polat claimed during her statement that she had no knowledge of the tax law violation, while her husband Engin Polat stated that, “We did real business in our companies.” According to the expert report obtained during the investigation, it was determined that the 7 companies examined caused a loss of 295 million lira to the public. Polat could face a prison sentence of up to 5 years for this crime. Article 359 of the Tax Procedure Law states that, “Falsification in the books and records kept or prepared according to tax laws, concealing, modifying, or altering records so as to reduce the tax base constitutes a crime. These types of actions are punishable by imprisonment of eighteen months to five years.” If the Polat couple is tried under this provision and considering that the previous penalty requested was 3 to 5 years, they could face a severe prison sentence as they have exceeded the 2-year limit and would not qualify for a suspended sentence, being sent to prison instead. The Polat couple’s tax affairs had alarming irregularities when they were audited. Revelations in the indictment suggested that there was a significant money flow being managed to avoid paying taxes. The indictment also mentioned that, according to a report prepared by the Istanbul Sectoral 3 Audit Department of the Tax Audit Board, the fake invoice amount of the companies was 489,309,777 lira, with a Value Added Tax (VAT) amount of 86,988,913 lira, and that the companies also issued fake invoices among themselves, incurring a total amount of 117,443,863 lira, corresponding to 21,028,562 lira in VAT. The indictment highlighted that due to keeping other records besides the legally required books in order to reduce the tax base, the total amount reached 214,786,065 lira, with 35,607,842 lira of it corresponding to the VAT amount. Additionally, the indictment stated that it was observed that payments totaling 46,103,895 lira were made to companies established solely for issuing fake invoices, designed to obtain fake documents, with the purpose being managed by Ahmet Gün, for this purpose.