09.12.2025 22:10
The third hearing in the IZBETON Cooperative case, which the public in İzmir has been closely following, has been completed. The court ruled for the continued detention of former İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer and former IZBETON General Manager Heval Savaş Kaya, while lifting the house arrest measure imposed on defendant Şenol Aslanoğlu.
Today, another critical hearing was completed in the İZBETON cooperative case. While the detention of former İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer and former İZBETON General Manager Heval Savaş Kaya was decided to continue for the third time in front of the judge, Soyer made striking statements during the hearing. The court ruled for the release of defendant Barış Karcı, while judicial control measures applied to some other defendants were also lifted.
SOYER: WE ARE NOT THE CAUSE OF THE VICTIMIZATION, İZBETON IS
After the prosecutor's opinion, detained defendant Tunç Soyer stated that they were not the cause of the victimization. Soyer said, "The dominant feeling in the statements of the complainants is disappointment. While this disappointment is expressed, we did not hear any concrete allegations of fraud or corruption. They rightfully want their victimization to be addressed. We are not the cause of the victimization. The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality opened the urban transformation processes that were locked by making a protocol with İZBETON. After İZBETON received this authority in the council, contracts were signed with cooperatives. If we were to hold a tender by invitation, as the current administration does, and accept an uncertain profit margin from a selected contractor, would we be any more innocent? Of course not. Currently, construction costs have skyrocketed due to the contractor's profit," he said.
'IF CONSTRUCTIONS HAD CONTINUED, KEYS WOULD HAVE BEEN DELIVERED'
Soyer argued that if the Metropolitan Municipality had continued the constructions, they would have been close to completion in the cooperatives, stating, "The Court of Accounts did not detect any public damage. The Council of State, by canceling the investigation permission, decided that there were not even charges of misconduct or negligence against us, let alone fraud. When the letter from the Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization dated July 12, 2023, arrived, I requested a written opinion from our Municipality's Legal Consultancy. They informed me that 'there is no legal obstacle to the continuation of the constructions.' Therefore, the constructions continued. However, a year later, the current administration of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality stopped the constructions by relying on the letter from the Provincial Directorate, not on its own institutional legal opinion. If İzmir Metropolitan Municipality had continued the constructions in the past 1.5 years, we would have either been very close to completion with 5 cooperatives or started delivering keys in some of them," he said.
'THE REAL PUBLIC DAMAGE IS STOPPING THE CONSTRUCTIONS'
Requesting release along with the other two detained defendants, Soyer stated, "I have not done anything to disappoint anyone. I had no intention or action that would cause the victimizations experienced. We established a model that would provide thousands of citizens, thousands of rights holders with homes without spending a single penny from the municipality's pocket. When will it be seen that the real public damage arises from stopping the constructions? Everyone knows and sees that this unjust accusation does not stick to me, and I will be completely acquitted in the end," he expressed.
'THERE IS NO PUBLIC DAMAGE'
After the opinion, detained defendant Barış Karcı requested release. Karcı stated, "There is no evidence that I committed fraud in the statements taken so far. I am currently just a department head, and I have no opportunity to destroy evidence. No one claims that I was defrauded. The Urban Transformation Department is responsible for the control, work, and operation of the constructions. The Metropolitan Municipality is the property owner, and İZBETON is the contractor. The terms of how the rent payments will be made in case of delays in the constructions have been determined. The Metropolitan Municipality reported that there is no public damage due to rents. We are here due to a non-existent, potential damage. I continued as Secretary General and a member of the İZBETON Board of Directors until January 2025. I have my signature as a bureaucrat from both sides. There is no fraudulent behavior, no party that has enriched itself, no benefit, intent, or public damage. I cannot explain my detention to my family," he said.
'THE COMPLAINANTS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ISSUE'
Detained defendant Heval Savaş Kaya, stating, "They are trying to rot us in prison unlawfully with internal audit reports," said, "In the file, it is claimed that the invoices are fake due to representation expenses. These are expenses made for the sake of the job. It is called qualified fraud. Mayor Tunç says, 'I am aware of these expenses.' Then who are we going to defraud? The accusations in the file start with internal audit reports. The internal audit started 3 days after I resigned. They are trying to rot us in prison unlawfully with internal audit reports. İZBETON's 5-year budget is 10 billion lira. We spent 5 million lira on representation expenses. The Court of Accounts has audited us 4 times in 5 years, but has not said a single thing about this. The complainants are not complaining about us, they are complaining about the issue. These matters are issues for the courts. I request my release," he stated. The defendants who were not detained also requested the lifting of judicial control measures during the hearing.
DECISIONS AND NEXT HEARING DATE
The court panel decided at the end of the hearing to release Barış Karcı, to continue the detention of Tunç Soyer and Heval Savaş Kaya, to lift the house arrest of Şenol Aslanoğlu, to lift the signature obligations of the defendants who were not detained, to inquire about the status of the expert report, and to address the deficiencies in the file.
The hearing was postponed to January 5, 2026.
Tolga TAHÇI/İZMİR