Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık appeared before the judge for the first time in the İBB case.

25.03.2026 18:34

In the 10th hearing of the case regarding "Imamoğlu's organized crime group," the defense of Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, who was suspended from his position following his arrest, was taken. In his defense, Çalık stated, "My activities before becoming mayor have been evaluated in the indictment, and it is claimed that I committed a crime." He also said, "If Uğur Güngör has fewer than 200 records in his criminal record, I will accept all the accusations."

In the 10th hearing of the case involving "İmamoğlu's organized crime group," where 407 defendants are being tried, including 107 who are in custody and 5 who are complainant defendants, the defense of Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, who was suspended from his position after his arrest, was taken.

"MY MONTHLY INCOME IS 150 THOUSAND LIRA"

The afternoon session of the hearing held by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court in the hall opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Institution continued with the defense of Çalık. During the identification process, Çalık stated that he is married with 2 children and mentioned that his monthly income is 150 thousand lira.

"BRIBERY IS A CRIME ONLY A PUBLIC OFFICIAL CAN COMMIT; I WAS NOT A PUBLIC OFFICIAL DURING THE ALLEGED PERIOD"

In his defense, Çalık expressed that his actions before becoming the Mayor of Beylikdüzü were evaluated as crimes in the indictment, and he stated: "I want to say that it is extremely serious to portray our municipalities, which are legitimate public institutions established by law, as a criminal organization. There is no criminal organization at hand. There is not a single phone record, technical surveillance, or secret witness statement related to me in the indictment. I have not been a part of any structure that constitutes a crime. What remains are the statements of defendants that constantly change and contradict themselves as their statements change. I see the statements directed against me as slander. Bribery is a type of crime that can only be committed by a public official. I was not a public official during the alleged period. I was a presidential advisor. Therefore, it is impossible for me to be the perpetrator of the bribery crime. With God's permission, I believe I will come out of this process with my head held high."

Çalık stated that he does not see Beylikdüzü merely as a place where he worked, saying, "I saw Beylikdüzü as a child to whom I devoted effort and whose development I followed. I served as an advisor to Mayor İmamoğlu. Then I served as the mayor. If you ask an urban planner what their dream is, I assure you they desire to manage a city and to be a mayor. Although my term as mayor is currently interrupted, I say there is a good in this as well."

Today, stating that he is not only a defendant but also someone who has served Beylikdüzü for nearly 30 years, including 6 years as mayor, Çalık said, "In every step we have taken since 2014, there are principles of urbanism and public interest. The greatest account of a mayor is not only to the courts but also to the public and their own conscience. My conscience is very at ease. The photo between Beylikdüzü before 2014 and Beylikdüzü after 2014 is a clear indication of this. Before 2014, Beylikdüzü was a city that was disconnected, unable to meet its own needs, and ready to be sacrificed for profit, while we made great efforts to build a more livable and sustainable city for everyone."

"I AM ALLEGED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR 7 ACTIONS, ONLY MY DEFENSE WAS ASKED FOR 2 OF THEM"

Defendant Çalık continued his defense as follows: "'Ready to be sacrificed for profit.' Why did I say that, Mr. President? Because you must know the Beylikdüzü region. On the way to Büyükçekmece, the right side is Esenyurt, and the left side is Beylikdüzü. Esenyurt is like an 'open-air museum of urban crimes.' Beylikdüzü has turned into a city where people live in peace, and this transformation continues. We transformed not only urban spaces but also urban life. Everything we did was for children, for young people, for women, and I assure you, Mr. President, I proudly say that we have implemented more than we promised."

Çalık expressed that he does not accept the portrayal of their municipalities as a criminal organization, stating, "Here is a case with 407 defendants, 107 of whom are in custody. Hopefully, everyone will regain their freedom. Everyone will be able to express their grievances. That is why I must explain this. When we came together with our fellow mayors, I am not only talking about my friends from the Republican People's Party, but also when we came together with our friends from the AK Party, we always discussed this; during the last term, there was a pandemic. The pandemic was something we had never experienced, and we did not know how to behave as a municipality. Then there were fires and earthquakes. We used to say among ourselves, 'One meteorite is missing.' That hit us this term. In other words, we are currently experiencing something we have never lived through or even dreamed of."

Çalık stated, "In order to come before the court, we socialize below. We had not shaken hands with any of our friends. Since March 9, we started to meet with our friends who are alleged to be members of the organization. I am not saying that I should not be tried at all. However, I believe that the arrest of a mayor without concrete and strong reasons is a shackle on the will of the nation. I come from 600 kilometers away. This is not only punishing me but also my family and my right to defense. I am alleged to be responsible for 7 actions. During the investigation phase, my defense was only asked for 2 of them."

ALLEGATION OF REQUESTING BRIBERY FROM DEFENDANT UĞUR GÜNGÖR FOR A LICENSE

Çalık also mentioned the allegation that he requested a bribe from defendant Uğur Güngör for a license, stating that there was a previous decision of non-prosecution issued by the Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding this matter. Çalık noted that the investigation into the allegation was conducted and a decision of non-prosecution was issued, continuing: "The objection was rejected, and the decision of non-prosecution has become final. Subsequently, the Court of Cassation only overturned the decision for the purpose of taking my statement and sent it back to the chief public prosecutor for re-evaluation. Following that, I provided a written defense, and the chief public prosecutor, by issuing a decision of lack of jurisdiction, sent the file to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The file has been merged with the İBB file. As far as I have learned, there is a rule that a person cannot be tried multiple times for the same action based on the same reason. The investigation for which a decision of non-prosecution was issued was for the crime of 'bribery.' The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office continued the investigation for the crime of 'extortion.' We could not explain this in our objection to the arrest. The nature of the crime for which I was arrested has changed and has been classified as 'bribery.' I have been detained for a year, being tried for a crime I did not defend myself against."

"ACCORDING TO THE DATE OF THE TRANSACTION IN DAVUT AKAY'S ALLEGATION, THE PERSON TO BE INVESTIGATED IS THE MAYOR OF THAT PERIOD, VELİTTİN KÜÇÜK"

Çalık conveyed that Davut Akay's statements were also in the form of "I had heard, I was not aware," and said: "The prosecution has never felt the need to investigate the accuracy of these accounts.

However, the most recent administrative action regarding the project in question was issued on March 27, 2008, and I have included the permits for Perla Vista in the additional folder. Mr. President, who was the mayor on that date? Velittin Küçük! If the prosecution is saying, 'Look, there has been a violation here, these names have not done this for the first time, they have previously converted shops as well,' and is including this statement as evidence in the file; considering the date of the alleged action, the person who should be investigated is the mayor of that period, Velittin Küçük. "

"IF THERE ARE NOT AT LEAST 200 CRIMINAL RECORDS, I WILL ACCEPT ALL THE CHARGES AGAINST ME"

The court president said to Murat Çalık, "Look at Uğur Güngör's UYAP record. If there are not at least 200 criminal records, I will accept all the charges against me," due to his words regarding Uğur Güngör.

Çalık replied, "What will it bind! It won't bind me, Mr. President, I am confident in myself. Believe me, if you look at the UYAP record, I won't need to say anything."

"I DO NOT ACCEPT THE CHARGES LEVELED AGAINST ME"

Çalık stated that the amount, type, time, and parties of the alleged interest claim could not be concretely presented, that there were serious contradictions between official documents and statements, and therefore, there was no sufficient and conclusive evidence in the file, free from any doubt. He expressed, "According to the principle that the accused benefits from doubt, I do not accept any of the charges leveled against me regarding Action 1."

A break was given in the hearing.