17.03.2026 12:39
The sixth hearing of the İBB case, in which Ekrem İmamoğlu is being tried with a request for 2,000 years in prison, has begun. During the hearing, the confessing defendant Ümit Polat, who was defending himself, stated that his "psychology has deteriorated" and made a correction in his statement. Polat said, "I was told 'The governor (Istanbul Governor Davut Gül) denied it.' I do not want to disrespect the governor. It is not his relative, but a friend of his relative who is working."
The 40th Heavy Penal Court of Istanbul held a hearing in the hall opposite the Marmara Closed Prison, attended by 107 detained defendants, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Şişli Mayor Emrah Resul Şahan, Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, former CHP Member of Parliament Aykut Erdoğdu, IMM Chief Advisor and MEDYA AŞ Board Chairman Murat Ongun, IMM Sports Club President Fatih Keleş, İmamoğlu's brother-in-law Cevat Kaya, and İmamoğlu's lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan, all of whom were suspended from their duties after their arrests.
ONLY IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS OF DETAINEES ARE ALLOWED
Some defendants who are not in custody and the lawyers of the parties also attended the hearing. While only one immediate family member of each detained defendant was allowed as an audience, the relatives of the defendants who are not in custody were not permitted to enter the hall.
CHP Istanbul MP Suat Özçağdaş was also present at the hearing. Extensive security measures were taken by gendarmerie teams around and inside the courtroom.
The hearing continues with the cross-examination of detained defendant Ümit Polat, the Purchasing Manager of the IMM subsidiary Ağaç AŞ.
"MY PSYCHOLOGY IS IN SHAMBLES"
According to reports from Engin Deniz İpek of Cumhuriyet, Ümit Polat made a correction regarding his defense from the previous hearing. Polat stated the following:
"I went through a troubled detention process, my psychology is in shambles. I slept on the floor for months, I went through a difficult process for months. I started using antidepressants. I couldn't fully express myself in my defense the other day. I have never spoken in front of such a crowd before. The pressure here crushed me. My perception was lost, I missed some things. I want to make a correction.
"IT'S NOT A RELATIVE OF THE GOVERNOR, BUT A FRIEND WORKING"
It was said, 'The governor denied it.' I do not want to disrespect the governor; I apologize if something wrong happened. It's not a relative, but a friend of a relative who is working. I went to the first statement without a lawyer and without a request for effective remorse. In my third statement, I wanted to benefit from my expression of effective remorse. I was also asked about the Court of Accounts issue, 'Did you undergo an audit?' When the Court of Accounts comes, it examines completed files. I never had a statement like 'I saw' regarding the delivery of the money."
WHAT DID ÜMİT POLAT SAY IN HIS PREVIOUS DEFENSE?
Defendant Ümit Polat stated, "Istanbul Governor Davut Gül told me through a staff member of Ağaç AŞ, who is my cousin, 'Don't make a sound, wait, something will happen soon.' On the one hand, I was thinking about the institution I have served for 25 years. I also thought about going to the prosecutor's office, but it was not an easy decision to report my own institution. Then, with the arrest of Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, the events took a completely different turn. Things like what the general manager said, that Mr. Ertan and other people were involved in this started to be discussed. Until that time, I always thought, 'Surely someone up there is protecting this.' Then the arrests began. General managers and company executives were taken into custody. During that process, despite there being no arrest warrant, I decided to go and give a statement of my own accord," he had stated.
GOVERNOR GÜL'S QUICK RESPONSE
Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, while the hearing was ongoing, made a statement on his social media account, saying, "I have no close or distant relatives working in IMM or its subsidiaries."
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment prepared by the Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the Presidency of the Mülkiye Inspection Board is listed as the "whistleblower," while the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and the Şişli Municipality are listed as "victims of the crime."
Additionally, the indictment states that 16 individuals are "complainants," 107 are detained, 7 are fugitives, and a total of 407 individuals are listed as "defendants."
The indictment describes the activities of the criminal organization from its establishment in 2014 to the present, stating that "the total public damage caused by the benefits obtained from 143 actions subject to the indictment amounts to approximately 160 billion Turkish liras and 24 million US dollars in movable assets and consists of 95 real estate properties in Istanbul and across the country (excluding the assets obtained from the criminal proceeds of the organization’s leader and executives)."
The indictment outlines the organization’s structure, indicating that detained defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu is the "leader of the organization," while detained defendants Murat Ongun, Fatih Keleş, and Adem Soytekin, as well as non-detained defendant Ertan Yıldız, detained for another crime, and fugitive defendant Murat Gülibrahimoğlu are also identified as "organization executives." The chart shows that there are 10 organization members directly linked to Ekrem İmamoğlu, 77 to Fatih Keleş, 35 to Murat Ongun, 8 to Ertan Yıldız, 7 to Hüseyin Gün, 6 to Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, and 6 to Adem Soytekin.
The indictment requests that Ekrem İmamoğlu be sentenced to a total of 849 years to 2,430 years and 6 months in prison for crimes including "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "recording personal data," "seizing and disseminating personal data," "hiding criminal evidence," "obstructing communication," "damaging public property," "bribery," "publicly disseminating misleading information," "extortion," "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "laundering assets derived from crime," "interfering with a tender," "deliberately polluting the environment," "violating the Tax Procedure Law," "violating the Forest Law," and "violating the Mining Law."
The indictment also requests that Keleş be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 556 years and 8 months to 1,542 years and 8 months for 48 counts of "bribery," "receiving bribes," "giving bribes," 55 counts of "interfering with a tender," 39 counts of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," 8 counts of "laundering criminal proceeds," "violating the Mining Law," "violating the Forest Law," "causing environmental pollution," "violating the Tax Procedure Law," "extortion," "destroying, hiding, or altering criminal evidence," and "obstructing communication."
The indictment seeks a prison sentence for Ongun ranging from 287 years and 6 months to 779 years and 6 months for "bribery," 53 counts of "interfering with a tender," 33 counts of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "disclosing, disseminating, or seizing personal data," "publicly disseminating misleading information," and "laundering criminal proceeds." Yıldız faces a prison sentence of 86 years to 251 years for "bribery," "interfering with a tender," and "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations."
The indictment requests that Soytekin be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 67 years to 194 years for "bribery," "chain bribery," "extortion," and "laundering criminal proceeds," while Gülibrahimoğlu faces a prison sentence of 19 years and 6 months to 51 years for "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "laundering criminal proceeds," "forgery," "violating the Mining Law," "violating the Forest Law," "causing environmental pollution," and "violating the Tax Procedure Law."
In the indictment, which requests imprisonment of 20 to 40 years for the crimes of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "providing, disseminating, or seizing personal data to another," it is stated that these defendants, who are in the position of organization leaders, should also be punished as perpetrators for all crimes committed within the framework of the activities of the structures affiliated with the organization.
In the indictment, it is requested that the provisions of "effective remorse" be applied to the organization leader defendants Adem Soytekin, Hüseyin Gün, and Ertan Yıldız, who provided information about the crimes committed within the framework of the organization's structure and activities after their capture.
In the indictment, which includes a request for a total prison sentence of 35 to 91 years for Şişli Mayor Emrah Resul Şahan, who was suspended from his position after his arrest for 5 counts of "bribery," 2 counts of "embezzlement," "illegally recording personal data," "illegally providing or seizing personal data," and "being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing a crime," it is also requested that Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, who was suspended from his position after his arrest, be sentenced to a total of 30 to 88 years for 7 counts of "bribery" and "being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing a crime."