28.04.2026 19:40
The confession of Adem Soytekin, who testified under the effective remorse provision, marked the first hearing of the 'Ekrem İmamoğlu Criminal Organization for Profit' case. In response to the court president's question, 'You said one and a half million dollars were sent to Ali Kurt, what is the detail?', Soytekin replied, 'Bribery, sir, bribery. Ali Kurt works for himself.'
The 28th session of the first hearing of the 'Ekrem İmamoğlu Criminal Organization for Profit' case continued in the courtroom located at the Marmara Penal Execution Institutions Campus by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court. During the hearing, a cross-examination was conducted of Adem Soytekin, who gave a statement under the scope of active remorse during the investigation phase.
"ALL OF THESE ARE BRIBES"
When the court president asked the defendant Soytekin, "In your statement, you mentioned 2 schools, 4 neighborhood muhtar offices, landscaping, Beylikdüzü marketplace, Beylikdüzü taxi stand, closed parking lot, and many joint projects. Finally, you said 310 independent units for the temporary living area in the Hatay earthquake zone. Then your statement continues as: 'The payment for all the work I mentioned was made to me through bribes received from contractors.' Is this statement true?" Soytekin replied, "Whether this is bribery, extortion, or something else, I am not entirely sure of the definition, so yes. In other words, if you look at what the contractors say, this is bribery. Because it already comes out through the contractors' conversations and information reflected in the media. Initially, before my statement, I did not know this, but all of these turned out to be bribes. The claimants themselves say so."
When the president asked, "What is the source of the hostility between you and the Keleş family?" the defendant Soytekin replied, "In 2017, an incident involving one of their members escalated to the point of armed conflict with me. A hostility developed. One of them pulled a gun on me, fired it, and so on."
"BRIBERY, SIR, BRIBERY"
When the court president asked, "You said 1.5 million dollars were sent to Ali Kurt; what are the details?" and the defendant Soytekin had difficulty answering, the court president said, "We're having communication issues with you." The defendant replied, "Bribery, sir, bribery. Ali Kurt works for himself."
"I WISH I HAD LISTENED TO İMAMOĞLU"
The public prosecutor asked, "There is an allegation of a secret meeting regarding this operation process. You stated: 'Because Mehmet Pehlivan warned all actors in the system, the money could not be found. Before the operation, Ekrem İmamoğlu asked me: Did you take your precautions? They will conduct an operation, and you are on the list.' Is this correct?" The defendant Soytekin replied, "Correct. Ekrem Bey said 'be prepared.' I wish I had listened; my companies were seized. Mehmet Pehlivan was also there. All of these were discussed."
When asked about the allegation that some defendants were intended to be sent abroad before the operation, the defendant Soytekin replied, "During the meeting, it was mentioned, 'If you want to go, we can send you too.' I directly said, 'Everything I have is here; I am not leaving.'" The prosecutor asked, "There is the matter of purchasing the provincial building. The money towers incident. You stated that this money was collected in some way from CHP municipalities and was not donations, and that Turan Taşkın Özer requested a receipt for a donation you did not make. Is this correct?" The defendant Soytekin replied, "Exactly correct."
When the court president asked, "Was the term 'system' used?" the defendant said, "The term 'system' was used." The prosecutor then asked, "You said you heard that 3 apartments from the Westside project were given to Hasan İmamoğlu. Who did you hear this from?" The defendant replied, "I remember speaking with the manager at the sales office." Meanwhile, as Soytekin's cross-examination continued, upon the detained Ekrem İmamoğlu speaking, the court president said, "Ekrem Bey, we do not intervene in this manner."
İMAMOĞLU: ADEM SOYTEKIN, TAKE IT EASY
Then the defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu, arrested for bribery and corruption, took the floor and asked, "Adem Soytekin, take it easy, what can I say. You have done business with my company since 2008. In every transaction with me, I have been meticulous down to the last penny. Have you ever done any business with me without taking even a single penny?" The defendant Soytekin replied, "No, never." İmamoğlu then asked, "I am having difficulty defining some things. Between March 19 and March 23, we experienced a very difficult 5 days. It was not an easy 5 days. When we entered the Çağlayan Courthouse, prosecutor Cahit Cihat Sarı, whose name I later learned, mentioned a tape recording and audio recording full of outcry. He spoke profanely. After this prosecutor made that profane speech, I said, 'Who is he referring to?' They said he is referring to Adem Bey. Did the mentioned prosecutor also speak to you with obscene and profane language? Did he mention this tape recording to you?" The defendant Adem Soytekin replied, "Obscene? Whenever I went, the prosecutor bought me a meal. He did not mention any tape to me."
The court was adjourned after the cross-examination.