A whistleblower who exposed how Malta was used as a “base” for an alleged illegal betting network claimed to be worth €75 million monthly has been murdered.
Cemil Önal was reportedly gunned down on the terrace of a hotel in the south of the Netherlands on Thursday evening.
Dutch media reports he was shot at close range and died immediately.
Önal, the former head of finance to Turkish-Cypriot businessman Halil Falyali, had spoken to OCCRP as part of an investigation with Times of Malta, Amphora Media and other media outlets.
Falyali was himself gunned down in Northern Cyprus three years ago.
Önal had alleged Malta was one of the cogs in what Turkish prosecutors say was a cross-border illegal online betting operation.
He had detailed from a Dutch prison the alleged inner workings of the betting network and Malta’s place in it.
Since giving the interviews, Önal was released while fighting extradition for his alleged role in the Falyali murder and the illegal gambling network.
Önal had insisted that he was not involved in the murder, and the compromising information he had on payments to public officials in Turkey and Northern Cyprus made him a target.
Following his release from prison, Önal gave further media interviews alleging wrongdoing by “bureaucrats and politicians” in Turkey.
Back in February, Times of Malta and Amphora Media had detailed Önal’s allegations that Malta was an obvious country to use for supporting illegal activities.
“Because, why Malta? Opening a company in Malta costs €2,000. The Falyalı family could give a power of attorney from the Greek-Cypriot side and open a company in Malta through a lawyer within a day.
“Once you open a company, you have bank accounts and bitcoin. There is no problem in Malta when you exchange your bitcoins and deposit them into your bank account. That is how you clean the money,” Önal had claimed.
Önal claimed Malta was used to facilitate the alleged illegal gambling network’s operations.
He alleged Turkish-American national Ulaş Utku Bozdoğan, who owns the Kebab Factory restaurant chain, had ties to the network.
Bozdoğan strongly denied the claims.
“I have never met or had any dealings with Mr Cemil Önal and/or Halil Falyali and I can say that this information is false.”
Another person named by Önal is Turkish-Cypriot businessman Burak Başel, the co-owner of a Sliema eatery Food for Fit, as well as a payment firm called Paymix.
Başel too vehemently denied having any links to the alleged illegal gambling network.
A government source confirmed to Times of Malta that Falyali’s financial links to Malta are being investigated by the authorities.
