Turkish police detain three private TV channel executives in Istanbul

ISTANBUL (A.A) - July 6 ,2011 - Turkish police detained on Wednesday three executives of a private TV channel in Istanbul within the scope of a German charity investigation.
Police has took into custody Kanal 7's editor-in-chief Mustafa Celik, Kanal 7's deputy director general Ismail Karahan and financial director Erdogan Kara in Istanbul within the framework of German "Deniz Feneri e.V." charity investigation.
Earlier on Wednesday, police detained Supreme Board of Radio and Television (RTUK) member Zahid Akman, who was the former chairman of the board, in Ankara.
In September 2008, a German court convicted three Turks of fraud for drawing off donations and using them for other purposes outside charity.
The Frankfurt State Court sentenced the three men working for the charity Deniz Feneri e.V in Germany to prison terms.
The court sentenced Mehmet Gurhan to 5 years and 10 months, Mehmet Taskan to 2 years and 9 months in prison. Firdevsi Ermis was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison, which was suspended on probation.
Court judge Johann Muller had said after the trial that Deniz Feneri e.V. had received a total of 41 million euros of donations over last five years in Germany and 17 million euros of that had been sent to Turkey.
The prosecution had also said they had reason to believe that Zahid Akman was responsible for some of the crimes.