An indictment has been prepared for the CHP Istanbul election! A prison request has been made for 10 individuals, including Özgür Çelik.

29.08.2025 15:46

The indictment has been completed for the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency elections, in which Özgür Çelik was elected as Provincial Chairman. In the indictment prepared with the allegation that fraud was involved in the voting for the CHP Istanbul elections, a prison sentence of 1 to 3 years has been requested for 10 individuals, including Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, and Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat.

The investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the allegations of "manipulation of the election and violation of the Political Parties Law" during the last congress of the CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency has been completed.

REQUEST FOR IMPRISONMENT OF 10 PARTY OFFICIALS

An indictment has been prepared against 10 party officials, including Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, and Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, on the charge of "manipulation of the voting process," seeking imprisonment of 1 to 3 years.

In a statement made by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated, "A public lawsuit has been filed against 10 suspects regarding the allegations of irregularities in the Istanbul Provincial Presidency elections held by the Republican People's Party in October 2023, in accordance with the crime specified in Article 112 of the Political Parties Law. It is announced to the public."

ÇELİK HAD GIVEN A STATEMENT TO THE POLICE

Following the instructions given within the scope of the investigation, Çelik had gone to the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Unit last month to give a statement.

After approximately 2 hours of procedures, Çelik stated in front of the police headquarters on Vatan Avenue that he was called to give a statement following the statements of a detained person regarding his party's provincial congress.

Çelik indicated that after the allegation that the person was offered a benefit to vote for him, the statements of 10 people were taken, and he argued that there were many contradictions in the statements of the detained person.

"HE USED SUCH STATEMENTS TO ESCAPE FROM PRISON"

Çelik mentioned that the person who claimed to be a delegate candidate on the list of Cemal Canpolat, whom he competed against in the congress, was actually a candidate for management in the 18th place, and he said:

"If he was offered a benefit to vote for me, he would have come out during the Istanbul Congress in October 2023 and said, 'Hey delegates, I am a candidate for the management list of Cemal Canpolat. Those on Özgür Çelik's list offered me benefits.' and would have tried to convince the delegates to win. He didn't say anything before, during, or after the congress. Then he was arrested and went to prison. He used such statements to escape from prison."

"I WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT WITH THE PREFERENCE OF OUR DELEGATES"

Özgür Çelik stated in his statement that he was elected as the provincial chairman at the CHP's provincial congress on October 8, 2023. When asked to provide information about the congress process, Çelik said, "I served as the district chairman for nearly 6 years in CHP. I was re-elected as the district chairman during the 38th ordinary congress period. In the process leading to this congress, 26 of the 39 district chairmen elected wanted to see one of their district chairmen as the provincial chairman. They nominated me for the provincial chairmanship through their evaluations. I was elected president with the preference of our valuable provincial delegates."

Çelik was asked about the contents of the statement taken from Veli Gümüş, the Chief of Staff of Beykoz Municipality, one of the detained defendants in the case opened due to alleged legal violations committed by some company officials participating in the procurement of goods and services, municipal personnel, and tender processes.

Gümüş stated in his statement that Çelik called him and asked for support at the Istanbul Ordinary Congress, saying, "Look, we are from the same hometown. You need to support me. You have Fahrettin, your brother, in Beşiktaş. Have a talk with him."

Gümüş, who stated that he reported the situation to District Chairman Mahir Taştan because he was serving in the Beykoz CHP District Organization at that time, said that Taştan warned him not to go to this meeting alone, and then he went to Beşiktaş to meet with district delegate Uğur Gökdemir and a person named Fahrettin Çırak.

ALLEGATION OF A 100 THOUSAND TL OFFER TO VOTE FOR ÇELİK

Gümüş claimed, "During this meeting, Çırak told us that they had made Özgür Çelik their candidate, what young men like us were doing next to the old ones, that we needed to vote for Özgür Çelik, and that he was there at the request of Özgür Çelik and Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, offering 100 thousand TL per person."

He stated that they asked for a total of 750 thousand TL to see how far the money offer would go, and that they recorded the meeting audibly, making the following claims:

"Before the recording started, Fahrettin Çırak had revealed the amount of money he was thinking of giving us. I understood that this money would be given to us under the guidance of Özgür Çelik because the person who called me was Çelik. After leaving there, we went to our district chairman Mahir Taştan and delivered the audio recording. Chairman Mahir also gave this recording to the then Provincial Chairman Canan Kaftancıoğlu. I know that Ms. Canan forwarded this recording to the then General Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu."

Özgür Çelik, regarding Gümüş's statement, stated that when he was a candidate in the congress, he called all 600 provincial delegates one by one, saying, "I used similar expressions to each delegate I called. I expressed that Cemal Canpolat, with whom we were in competition at the congress, had previously served as provincial chairman, that he was a valuable elder of ours, that I was younger, that I would run faster, that I would represent the party better, and that I would carry out a more successful process by combining my 6 years of district chairmanship experience with my young energy, asking for support from the delegates."

"I did not make a call via FaceTime," he said.

"GÜMÜŞ IS ON THE LOSING SIDE OF THE CONGRESS"

Çelik stated that he had never seen Veli Gümüş face to face, that he did not have a personal acquaintance during the congress period, and that he made a standard call from the list he had because of his candidacy.

When Gümüş was detained in the Beykoz operation, Çelik, who stated that he was familiar with his name, said, "We see that those who have been detained and arrested recently are trying to escape from prison with various slanders. Moreover, Veli Gümüş is a candidate for management on the list of my rival Cemal Canpolat in the Istanbul congress and is on the losing side of the congress. Additionally, we can clearly see from his own statements that his statements are lies and slanders."

Çelik, who used the expression, "The statements of a person on a list that has lost the congress aim to distort the Istanbul Provincial Congress," stated that Fahrettin Çırak is a CHP council member and claimed that he did not have a meeting with this person that would affect the congress processes.

When asked about the allegations of irregularities in the main congress held in November 2023 regarding journalist T. E., whose statement was taken within the scope of the file, Çelik expressed that he did not know this person, that the allegations were vague, and therefore he did not find it appropriate to make an assessment.

In a report received regarding a voice recording that was included in the file, Çelik, whose mutual dialogues with three people were shown, claimed that he had no connection with the dialogues in which his and Cemal Canpolat's names were mentioned and various amounts were negotiated.