Ertan Yıldız: Fatih Keleş told me one day, 'I'm tired of dealing with extortion matters.'

25.08.2026 18:30

In the case of the "Ekrem İmamoğlu Criminal Organization for Profit," Ertan Yıldız, the head of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Assembly Affiliates and Subsidiaries Commission, who gave his defense, put forward a striking claim regarding Fatih Keleş, one of the closest figures to Ekrem İmamoğlu. Yıldız stated, "One day, Fatih Keleş told me, 'I am tired of dealing with extortion matters.' He said he wanted me to handle it, but I refused."

The second hearing of the "Ekrem İmamoğlu Criminal Enterprise" case continues on its 5th day. During the hearing held at the Marmara Penal Execution Institutions Silivri Campus, Ayhan Güveli, a defendant released without detention and an employee of Kobil Teknolojileri A.Ş., to which the Istanbul Senin application affiliated with IBB is connected, made his defense statement.

"IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO TRANSFER DATA FROM THE ISTANBUL SENIN APPLICATION OUTSIDE"

Defendant Güveli stated that he was not part of an organization, saying, "I was not part of an organization. I was also not involved in the construction or design phase of the application. I was involved in the promotion of the system, presenting it to people. During the presentation meetings, while promoting the Istanbul Senin application, I wasn't even a member of this application. In the indictment, I appear as the manager of this application. I think this is a mistake. It is impossible for me to see any data in the Istanbul Senin application and transfer it outside. I do not accept the charges against me."

"One day, Fatih Keleş told me, 'I'm tired of dealing with extortion matters.' He said he wanted me to handle them."

At the hearing, Ertan Yıldız, the Chairman of the IBB Assembly Affiliates and Subsidiaries Commission, a defendant released without detention who had benefited from the effective remorse provisions during the investigation phase of the case, made his defense statement. In the prepared indictment, defendant Yıldız was included with the title of 'organization leader.' Yıldız, whose identity was confirmed, stated that he is an Industrial Engineer and that his monthly income is 800 thousand lira.

"HE WANTED ME TO HANDLE THE EXTORTION AFFAIRS"

Yıldız, stating that he met Ekrem İmamoğlu in Beylikdüzü, said, "They told me, 'tell lies.' They said about me, 'he will flee, he will regret it.' But I didn't flee; I am here. We met Ekrem İmamoğlu in Beylikdüzü. Our factory was there. I would meet with him from time to time. We would also meet during election times. After winning the 2019 elections, they appointed me as an advisor. Upon Ekrem İmamoğlu's request, I became responsible for the affiliate companies. We have been in office for four and a half years. I think these four and a half years have been successful. Beltur was greatly affected by the pandemic process. It was making losses; we couldn't save it either. I said we couldn't manage it and left my position. I set out to accompany Ekrem İmamoğlu until he pursued the presidency. However, I saw that on this path there were things that disturbed me and affected me badly, so I resigned. One day, Fatih Keleş told me, 'I'm tired of dealing with extortion matters.' He said he wanted me to handle them, and I refused. Burak Gülibrahimoğlu didn't like me, and he reflected this to Fatih Keleş. He, in turn, reflected it to President İmamoğlu. They also became uncomfortable with me."

"İSTAÇ WOULD HAVE RECEIVED AT LEAST HALF OF THE 800 MILLION DOLLAR REVENUE"

Yıldız, stating that İSTAÇ incurred losses at the Cebeci dumping site, said, "Cebeci is a mining region; over time, pits have formed there, making it a dangerous area. When we came to office, this was the first issue on my desk. Murat Gülibrahimoğlu developed a project concerning that area. İSFALT opens a tender. MAPEG permits the dumping of 170 thousand tons of excavation spoil. Within 5 years, 185 million tons of excavation spoil are dumped. The municipality grants the road permits for these. Every day, 5 thousand trucks go there and dump excavation spoil because there is no intervention. Not a single bit of spoil has been dumped at the site for which permission for 170 thousand tons was granted. If this spoil had been dumped at İSTAÇ's site instead, it would have received 400 million dollars out of 800 million. If the spoil here had gone to İSTAÇ's dumping area instead of the mining site, İSTAÇ would have received at least half of the 800 million dollar revenue, around 400 million. Over a four-year period, İSTAÇ was deprived of such income. Therefore, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality created an environment in which I was not included and did not want to be included. I also decided to leave. I left at the end of 2023. I only continued as a council member. I returned to my own life and returned to my business."

"THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGEABLE OR EXPERT PERSON ON THE İSTAÇ BOARD OF DIRECTORS"

Regarding İSTAÇ's management structure, Yıldız said, "There is no knowledgeable or expert person on the İSTAÇ board of directors. It is entirely composed of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality bureaucrats. It was created entirely with the aim of improving their personal rights. A company has 5 or 7 board members. But İSTAÇ has 20 board members. Because in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the board attendance fee is around 400 people. They have distributed the 400 people as board members to the companies. This system was established before us. It was like this during the AK Party period as well. It is a practice carried out to strengthen the personal rights of civil servant bureaucrats in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality."

The hearing continues with the defense statement of defendant Ertan Yıldız.