11.11.2025 23:30
After being suspended from his position following his arrest, Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was released from prison in the evening hours after a court decision granted his release in the case against the "Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization." In his first statement upon exiting the prison where he had been held for 1 year and 10 days, Özer referred to the "Terror-free Turkey" process and said, "I would like to thank Mr. Bahçeli for his sincere and heartfelt support for this process."
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After being suspended from his position following his arrest, Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was released from prison in the evening hours after the court's decision to grant him bail in the case opened against the "Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization."
FIRST STATEMENT AFTER RELEASE FROM PRISON: I LEFT HALF OF MY HEART INSIDE Özer, in his first statement upon exiting the prison where he had been held for 1 year and 10 days, said, "The most beautiful thing in the world is freedom. I cannot fully experience the joy of freedom today. I left half of my heart inside. My friends, including İmamoğlu, Zeydan Karalar, our district mayors, bureaucrats, and other friends are inside," he said.
THANKS TO BAHÇELİ FOR 'TERROR-FREE TURKEY' Speaking about the 'Terror-Free Turkey' process, Özer thanked MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli. Özer stated, "We are going through a peace process. One of my greatest sorrows was not being able to support this process. I want to thank Mr. Bahçeli for his sincere and heartfelt support for this process. I would like to point out that the statements made by Mr. Feti Yıldız regarding legal security played a significant role for those inside. I hope it will be practically functional," he said.
“WE WILL DO OUR BEST FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE IN PEACE” Özer continued his remarks as follows: "My colleagues in Esenyurt were also arrested with me. Our deputy mayor, who has a heart condition, and our directors are still inside. That’s why my joy is incomplete. I hope that justice will prevail in Esenyurt and in the IBB as well.
I hope a decision will be made for both me and the people of Esenyurt, as well as for the 14 municipalities. This usurpation of will must come to an end. I thank our Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and our General Chairman. The struggle for freedom and democracy is the most honorable struggle of a person. We will do our best for people to live in peace."
WHAT HAD HAPPENED? The Istanbul 1st Heavy Penal Court decided to release former Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, Kaan Şengül, Mustafa Mutlu, Mustafa Seymen, Ümit Gözütok, and Yaşar Özkan, who were detained as part of the investigation into the 'Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization.'
Ahmet Özer was previously arrested on October 30, 2024, as part of the "city consensus" investigation and was suspended from his position, and was later released from this case during a hearing in July 2024. However, Özer was re-arrested as part of the investigation initiated on the charge of "manipulating a tender" related to the "Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization."
INDICTMENT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED The indictment in the investigation of Aziz İhsan Aktaş, in which Özer is detained, was accepted last week. The indictment stated that the suspect Aziz İhsan Aktaş was charged with "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "manipulating a tender" from 42 different acts, "interfering with the performance of a duty" from 4 different acts, "forgery in official documents" from 5 different acts, "forgery in private documents" from 21 different acts, "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "bribery" from 10 different acts, "money laundering of assets derived from crime," and "issuing false invoices," with requests for imprisonment ranging from 187 years to 450 years and the confiscation of assets obtained from the crime.
UP TO 9 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT WAS REQUESTED The indictment requested that Ahmet Özer be sentenced to imprisonment of 3 to 9 years for "manipulating a tender" from 2 different acts and "forgery in private documents" from 2 different acts. Additionally, the indictment requested that Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat face up to 415 years, Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara face up to 18 years, and Adana Metropolitan Mayor suspect Zeydan Karalar, Adıyaman Metropolitan Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere, Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin, and Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Ayda face up to 12 years in prison.
THEY WILL APPEAR IN COURT ON JANUARY 27 The hearing date in the investigation of the "Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization" has also been set. The defendants will appear before the judge for the first time on January 27, 2026.
WHAT DID BAHÇELİ SAY? MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli stated in an interview he gave on September 12 that Ahmet Türk, who was removed from the Mardin Metropolitan Municipality and replaced by a trustee, should be reinstated, and that Ahmet Özer should also be released.
Bahçeli said: "Ahmet Türk was the Mayor of Mardin, but he was removed from office. He is someone who contributes to establishing dialogues with the PKK for peace and tranquility in Turkey. In such a situation, Ahmet Türk should be reinstated. He should reunite with his municipality. This will contribute to the development of brotherhood and peace feelings. The same goes for Ahmet Özer. If there are any corruptions or illegal actions in the municipality, that is a separate issue. But sharing some of his thoughts related to the PKK with the public in the past is a separate issue. If Turkey has entered a peace process, Ahmet Özer needs to be released. If there is a situation like corruption, he should also receive the necessary punishment. We must separate these two issues from each other."
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