23.07.2025 18:01
The statement of hotel owner Ş.I., who was among those arrested in operations targeting the Manavgat Municipality, has been obtained. Ş.I. claimed in his statement that he paid a bribe of 60 million lira to obtain a residence permit for his hotel. He said, "On a piece of paper, the number and names of the construction machines were listed, and at the bottom, it said 60 million TL. Niyazi Nefi Kara's nephew said, 'You will give us this money. The boss wants it this way.'"
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Businessman Ş.I, who was among those arrested in the "bribery", "extortion", and "embezzlement" operation targeting the Manavgat Municipality, has reached the prosecutor's office with an additional statement. Ş.I. claimed that he gave a bribe of 60 million lira to obtain a residence permit for his hotel.
"I DIDN'T TELL EARLIER BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THE MUNICIPALITY WOULD CAUSE ME TROUBLE"
Hotel owner Ş.I stated in his additional statement to the prosecutor's office that he could not tell the truth because he was afraid that the municipality would cause him trouble if he made sincere statements during his previous interrogation.
Stating that he owns a hotel in Gündoğdu Neighborhood, Ş.I. said that they received a "construction start permit" from the municipality in December 2023 for the construction of this hotel.
Meanwhile, the suspect hotel owner explained that he made agreements with various subcontractor companies, one of which was the company of the excavator operator Mesut Kara, who was arrested as part of the operation. He noted that after completing the construction, he applied for a residence permit in March 2025, but was told that there was a lack of documents.
"THE BOSS WANTS IT THIS WAY"
After completing the documents and submitting them to the municipality, Ş.I. claimed that Mesut Kara called him and asked him to come to the container belonging to him at the construction site. He continued his statement as follows:
"Mesut Kara said, 'Make sure no one sees you when you come.' When I went to the container, Hüseyin Cem Gül (the nephew of Manavgat Mayor Niyazi Nefi Kara) was with him. Hüseyin Cem Gül told me that I needed to meet their demands to obtain the residence permit, otherwise my business would definitely not progress. There was a paper listing the number and names of the construction machines. At the bottom, it said 60 million lira. He said, 'You will give us this money, and with this money, construction machines will be purchased for the municipality. The boss wants it this way.' I replied, 'Why are you taking it? If necessary, the municipality can buy it and I can donate it.' Hüseyin Cem Gül said, 'This is how we work; otherwise, you won't get the permit.'
"I HAD TO ACCEPT THEIR OFFERS OUT OF FEAR OF GOING BANKRUPT"
Ş.I. claimed that Gül also wanted him to give the spa of his hotel to a person they would specify, and upon this, he transferred the operation of the hotel's spa to I.S., whom he learned was a relative of Gül.
The hotel owner continued, stating that Gül wanted him to send 35 million lira of the money to the account of Mesut Kara's company and to give the remaining 25 million lira in cash:
"I realized that they would take this money for themselves. However, out of fear of going bankrupt, I had to accept their offers. On March 26, 2025, I sent 35 million lira to the account of Mesut Kara's company. On the same day, I handed over 25 million lira worth of dollars in cash to Mesut Kara in a cargo bag and a backpack in front of the bank branch. I even wrote down how much money was in the cargo bags and took photos of them. I will present these photos."
"AFTER MAKING THE PAYMENT, THE RESIDENCE PERMIT APPLICATION WAS APPROVED"
Ş.I. claimed that two months after making the payment, an invoice of 36 million 109 thousand lira was issued to his company by the firm that deposited money into his account, thus legalizing the money he had given.
Stating that the residence permit application was approved a few days after he made the payment, the hotel owner noted that he filed a complaint against Mesut Kara, Hüseyin Cem Gül, Manavgat Mayor Niyazi Nefi Kara, and I.S., who operates the spa of his hotel free of charge, for unlawfully taking money from him.
As part of the investigation initiated by the Manavgat Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the allegations of bribery related to hotel renovations, construction permits, and residence permit applications, 19 suspects, including Manavgat Mayor Niyazi Nefi Kara, municipal deputy mayors, council members, and businessmen, were arrested, while 16 suspects were released under judicial control.
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