 During Şenkal Atasagun's restructuring of the MİT, Yavuz Ataç was exiled to Beijing on 24 October 1997 for involvement with the mafia.The next month, Ataç handed Çakıcı the red passport that allowed him to travel freely.Çakıcı was arrested on 16 August 1998 in France, carrying a diplomatic passport, after he allegedly threatened potential buyers of the Turkish Commerce Bank () over the telephone.