18.03.2026 14:31
While the corruption case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality continues on its seventh day, Murat Or, the Chief of Staff of Ali Sukas, the General Manager of Ağaç AŞ, stated at the beginning of his defense that there were contradictions between two statements he made and claimed that some of his statements were incorrectly recorded in the indictment. Or said, "I only described the matters I saw and heard. My statements are not based on definite eyewitness accounts. I did not witness with my own eyes that money was given to Ali Sukas."
Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was removed from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Presidency and arrested, was the subject of a 'Corruption' investigation that was completed, and an indictment of 3,809 pages was prepared on November 11, 2025. The first hearing was held on Monday, March 9. In the hearings last week, detained defendants Aykut Erdoğdu, Sırrı Küçük, Ümit Polat, and Bulut Aydöner made their defenses. In the 7th hearing, Murat Or, the private secretary of Ağaç AŞ General Manager Ali Sukas, made a defense.
Ağaç AŞ General Manager Ali Sukas "MY STATEMENTS WERE INCORRECTLY RECORDED IN THE INDICTMENT" Murat Or, the private secretary of Ağaç AŞ General Manager Ali Sukas, stated at the beginning of his defense that there were contradictions between the two statements he made and claimed that some of his words were incorrectly recorded in the indictment. Or said, "As I mentioned in my statement, I did not directly witness money being given to Ali Sukas. I stated this in my first statement, but in my second statement, I said, 'I think the reason these individuals received their payments earlier than other companies is due to the improper payment of money to Sukas again.' The two parts contradict each other. I said 'it can be thought' but this word was recorded in my statement as 'I think.' It was a material error. The second part is related to the market cards. I said 'I thought it was present' but in this statement, it was written as 'present.' Again, a material error occurred. Throughout my life, I have neither eaten haram food myself nor fed it to my children.
"I DID NOT WITNESS MONEY BEING GIVEN TO ALİ SUKAS WITH MY OWN EYES" I did not request money from anyone on behalf of Ali Sukas, nor did I receive money from anyone. I do not have the authority to open, examine, or ask questions about what is brought. I did not feel the need to benefit from effective remorse. I only explained the matters I saw and heard. My statements are not based on definite eyewitness accounts. I do not think it would be right to accuse anyone. I did not witness money being given to Ali Sukas with my own eyes. Regarding myself, I will just say; I did not experience such an event. When looking at the HTS records, there are not many details regarding me. I think the reason for this is that I was not at the workplace. I am really very upset that my name is mentioned in a bribery-related matter. During my time in office, companies sometimes brought materials like fertilizer samples, product inventories, and brochures in a closed manner," he said.
"I THINK THEY MENTIONED MY NAME TO AVOID GOING TO PRISON" Or said, "When General Manager Ali Bey was not available, I would host the companies, and in situations where he could not meet, I would inform him and get his approval to leave what was brought on my desk, where it could be seen by everyone, and then I would give it to him later. I do not have the responsibility or authority to open and examine what is brought. If such a money exchange were to take place, would it be done in a room that could be seen by everyone at the entrance of the office? When looking at the statements of the secret witnesses, it is seen that these statements were given after these processes started. I think they mentioned my name to avoid the possibility of being a defendant, to avoid going to prison, and to have named someone. It was during the month of Ramadan in 2024. At that time, Ali Bey had given me a bag that I thought Ümit Polat had brought, which I suspected contained a card. I took it to Gökmen Togay. It was a closed bag, and I had no way to open and check it. I looked at Adem Yavuz's statement. Every time I looked, I saw different things, full of errors. The crime date says 2024, but Adem Yavuz mentions dates from 2022 in his statement. Adem Yavuz states that Ümit Polat asked him to withdraw 500,000 lira and that Ali Sukas was aware of the matter, directing him to Sukas. Yavuz later says, 'I brought 500,000 lira to Ali Sukas. I also encountered Murat Or, the private secretary, in the office. When he saw me with the bag, he said that I was a guest of Sukas but that he was aware of the matter.' The security already informs me about those who come to see me, whether they have an appointment or not. I know every person. However, what they came for, what they brought, and for what purpose they visited are not matters that concern me. I only arrange meetings according to the appointment system and order," he said. The hearing was adjourned from 12:20 until 13:30.