06.02.2026 15:24
After the Council of State annulled the Interior Ministry's decision not to grant permission for an investigation against Melih Gökçek, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality applied to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office with a request to hear former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Bülent Arınç as a witness in the investigation. Arınç had stated that Gökçek "sold Ankara parcel by parcel."
After the Council of State annulled the Interior Ministry's decision not to grant permission for an investigation against Melih Gökçek, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality applied to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requesting that former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Bülent Arınç be heard as a witness in the investigation.
"WE DO NOT WANT YOU, BÜLENT ARINÇ"
Discussions within the party began after Melih Gökçek, the then AK Party Mayor of Ankara, criticized Bülent Arınç, the then Deputy Prime Minister and Government Spokesperson, for his statements regarding the 'Solution Process' during the period, stating on social media, "We do not want you, Bülent Arınç."
"HE SOLD ANKARA"
The debate intensified after Arınç responded to Gökçek by saying, "He is not a decent, honorable person," and most recently, Bülent Arınç accused Gökçek of selling Ankara, stating, "I am with our esteemed President. This is who I am. I am here with everything I have. I am the one who went to America; I did not hide these things. But Gökçek has done more than that. He has sat in the lap of this structure and sold parcels of Ankara to this structure. He has built schools for wealthy businessmen."
ARINÇ'S STATEMENTS REMINDED
The complaints made by ABB President Mansur Yavaş against former ABB President Melih Gökçek had not been investigated due to the Interior Ministry's refusal to grant permission. The Council of State's First Chamber annulled the Interior Ministry's decision not to process the complaint made against former ABB President Melih Gökçek and the municipal officials of the time regarding the allegation of "unjust benefits obtained through changes in zoning plans."
"NO PROSECUTOR HAS CALLED ME FOR 10 YEARS"
Following this development, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality applied to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, recalling Arınç's words during a program he participated in on Sözcü TV recently, where he stated, "I have not deviated a gram from what I said. No prosecutor has called me for 10 years," and requested that Arınç be heard.
"OUR EVIDENCE IS DISAPPEARING"
In the petition submitted by the ABB to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, news reports indicating that former President Melih Gökçek is connected to FETÖ and Gökçek's statements were included. The petition stated, "There are dozens of issues that need to be examined regarding our complaint, each of which is of a nature that requires prosecution. Unfortunately, evidence regarding our claims has not been collected for 5 years. The competent authority must decide whether to grant permission for an investigation regarding the public official within the time frames mentioned above. Currently, our evidence is disappearing in this investigation that has been ongoing for 5 years."
The petition requested that "Bülent Arınç, who has public statements regarding the suspects, be urgently heard as a witness, and that a separate examination be conducted for each parcel mentioned in the reports of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Inspection Board, as well as a comprehensive expert examination be carried out in accordance with the matters specified in the Council of State's decision dated December 25, 2025." The petition also requested that "it be determined whether the plan changes are of a piecemeal nature and whether individual benefits have been obtained, and that permission for an investigation regarding the suspects be granted without delay."