24.04.2025 15:33
Fuat Keleş, who provided a statement as a "complainant" in the corruption investigation against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), made highly controversial allegations regarding the period when Ekrem İmamoğlu was the Mayor of Beylikdüzü.
The corruption investigation against suspects, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was removed from his position as the Mayor of Istanbul after his arrest by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, continues. The charges include "being a leader of a criminal organization," "being a member of a criminal organization," "bribery," "corruption," "qualified fraud," "illegally obtaining personal data," and "interfering with a tender."
GAVE A STATEMENT AS A "COMPLAINANT"
Fuat Keleş, one of the partners of Keleşoğlu Holding Eston Yapı AŞ, who gave a statement to the prosecutor's office as a "complainant" in the investigation, explained that they acquired a housing project from the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) in Beylikdüzü in 2015, stating that it was a large project with a very complex parcel structure. Keleş noted that when they purchased Eston Yapı AŞ from TMSF, there were construction permits for 2 parcels, and they continued their construction on these parcels.
“EKREM İMAMOĞLU CALLED MY FATHER AND SAID…”
Keleş stated that they prepared architectural and other projects to obtain permits for subsequent parcels and submitted them to the relevant department during Ekrem İmamoğlu's tenure as the Mayor of Beylikdüzü, and he recounted: "During this period, my father Mustafa Keleş had a lawsuit related to a commercial dispute with Kameroğlu İnşaat, one of the partners in my father's other projects. Regarding this matter, Ekrem İmamoğlu called my father and ordered him to 'withdraw from this lawsuit.' My father did not withdraw from the mentioned lawsuit. After this incident, he was not signing our permits at the municipality. Later on, while I was thinking, 'How will I obtain a construction permit?', a person named Fatih Keleş, whom I had not met before, came to my office. He spoke with me and said, 'I can solve your permit issue. Let's discuss this in my office.'
ALLEGATION OF "THEY ASKED FOR 1 MILLION DOLLARS"
Keleş explained that they met with this person at the mentioned location later on, continuing: "He said, 'You need to bring me 1 million dollars for me to solve your permit issue.' I prepared a promissory note for him and delivered it in 3 equal parts. In the following days, I went to this office again, delivered the money, and took back the promissory notes to destroy them. I had to make this payment personally to Fatih Keleş at his office in 3 different installments at different times. Apart from this, neither I nor my company made even 1 square meter of extra construction beyond the authority granted to us by the zoning plans. I had to pay this money to obtain a permit from a properly prepared application file that I was entitled to according to the regulations. If I couldn't obtain the permit, all my commercial activities would have been disrupted. This person, knowing our situation, intimidated me by saying, 'It won't be less than 1 million dollars,' with the directive he received from Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu."
Keleş, who stated that he is a victim and complainant regarding the incident, noted that he submitted the construction permit he obtained from the Beylikdüzü Municipality to the prosecutor's office to be added to the investigation file.