"Godfather" Sequel, Featuring a Mega-Yacht and Restaurant Carnage, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Cumhuriyet Newspaper, 23 December 2021)

                                    Boys will be boys.

Former SWAT policeman Ziya Bandırmalıoğlu, who was involved in the

infamous 'Susurluk' scandal of the 1990s about police-mafia connections,

had been out of sight for quite a while.  But last Monday evening, 

together with retired policeman Şahin Aslan, he went to the Develi

restaurant in Kalamış, Istanbul.  There, Bandırmalıoğlu and Aslan held a 

meeting with Fuat Çaıkıroğlu and Ayhan Çakıroğlu to solve a debt

problem. 

However (!), at 2254 hours the two parties began firing at each other 

across the table for about 20 seconds.  Bandırmalıoğlu and Aslan were

killed in the gunfire exchange, while the Çakıroğlu's and three others 

were wounded. 

According to information obtained by Timur Soykan of BirGün 

newspaper, the reason for the clash was the sale of one of Turkey's

largest yachts 'Lord of The Seas'.  The 58-meter yacht's first name was

'Egeria', owned by Hüseyin Rüştü Altuntaş and launched in 2012.  

Worth 40 million Euro, the yacht has a helicopter pad, swimming pool,

sauna and sports salon.  The luxury yacht can be driven from afar by

means of mobile equipment. 

       Bandırmalıoğlu's thirst quenched by Çakıroğlu.

After Altuntaş died a dispute arose within his family about who would

own the yacht henceforth.  A few years ago, Altuntaş's sons wanted to 

sell the yacht and found a buyer in Hasan Peker, who owned the land

where Nef Ataköy (a big housing-office complex in Istanbul) was built.

The sale price was 25 million Euro and Peker gave the sons 8 stores

in Nef Ataköy as payment.  

                               All the fuss was about this.

The stores, though, proved to be worth only 10 million Euro so the

Altuntaş sons wanted Peker to give the yacht back to them.  Peker 

refused to bargain further and the two sides began exchanging threats.

Six months ago, Bandırmalıoğlu told the sons, Erkan and Volkan

Altuntaş, that he could "solve the problem" for $2 million.  So while

discussing this 'solution' at the Develi restaurant, a fight erupted 

between Erkan Altuntaş and Fuat Çakıroğlu.  

Once Erkan Altuntaş left the restaurant in a huff, Bandırmalıoğlu and

Aslan arrived.  After chatting with the Çakıroğlu's for a bit, guns were

drawn and the carnage ensued.

                             Kalamış (blue marker)