He was detained due to an ongoing bribery case involving a famous stockbroker.

The trial of stockbroker Nihat Özçelik, who is accused of attempting to influence the judiciary by bribing several law enforcement officers, continued with a demand for up to 38 years in prison. The court, which announced its interim decision, ruled that a report showing money transfer transactions among the defendants should be prepared.

Immediately after the court's decision, stockbroker Nihat Özçelik was detained by the Organized Crime Fighting Branch teams at his home in Istanbul as part of an investigation related to 'threat and blackmail.' Özçelik will be referred to the courthouse after his procedures at the police station.

The trial of stockbroker Nihat Özçelik, who is accused of attempting to influence the judiciary by bribing several law enforcement officers in 2023, continued with a demand for up to 38 years in prison on four separate charges. In the hearing held at the Istanbul 29th High Criminal Court, other defendants, including I.H.A., who is detained for another crime, and some defendants who are not in custody, as well as complainants, were present. The non-custodial defendant Ahmet Korkmaz connected to the court via Audio and Video Information System.

"I HAD NO PROJECT AUTHORITY OR AUTHORITY TO QUESTION ANYONE IN THE TWO UNITS I WORKED IN"

The non-custodial defendant M.Ç., who made a defense, stated that he was a police officer and did not accept the accusations against him, saying, "I do not know Nihat Özçelik. I have had no contact or financial transactions with him. This is also present in the records. I do not know Ali Kıymık either. This is not a bribery case. There is no situation that could constitute bribery. I had no project authority or authority to question anyone in the two units I worked in. I request my acquittal from all the accusations against me and the lifting of my judicial controls," he stated. The prosecutor, whose opinion was sought during the hearing, requested the continuation of the judicial control measures for the defendants and the resolution of missing issues. The court ruled for the continuation of the judicial control measures. After taking the defenses and statements, the court announced its interim decision, ruling for the continuation of the judicial control measures for five defendants, including Nihat Özçelik.

A REPORT SHOWING MONEY TRANSFER TRANSACTIONS AMONG THE DEFENDANTS WILL BE PREPARED

The court panel decided to write to the Financial Crimes Investigation Board of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance to inquire whether any report had been prepared regarding the matters stated to have been obtained from MASAK. The panel also ruled that if the said report could not be found, a report showing money transfer transactions among the defendants should be prepared and adjourned the hearing.

From the indictment: In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that after the commercial relationship between the suspect Nihat Özçelik and the complainants deteriorated, a feud arose between them, and that there were many investigations between the parties due to this feud.

It was stated in the indictment that the suspect police officers wore glasses to avoid being recognized during their meetings related to the incident, and that there were financial transactions among the suspect police officers in a manner contrary to the ordinary course of life.

"ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE THE ONE PERFORMING THE DUTY"

In the prepared indictment, it was noted that the suspect Nihat Özçelik committed the crime of 'attempting to influence the one performing the judicial duty,' and that Özçelik forced the complainants, with whom he had a feud in an ongoing trial in which he was a participant, to testify through the victim T.K. in order for the complainants to be convicted, and that Özçelik acted unlawfully to obtain a decision that would result in a benefit for himself and a detriment to the other party.

REQUEST FOR UP TO 38 YEARS IN PRISON

In the prepared indictment, it was requested that the suspect Nihat Özçelik be sentenced to a total of 14 to 38 years in prison for the crimes of 'bribery,' 'attempting to influence the one performing the judicial duty,' 'illegally obtaining or disseminating personal data,' and 'depriving a person of their liberty together with multiple persons.'

It was also requested that the other four suspects be sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment from 7 to 43 years for the same crimes, in addition to 'forgery in official documents' and 'receiving bribes.'

It was also requested that the other four suspects be sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment from 7 to 43 years for the same crimes, in addition to 'forgery in official documents' and 'receiving bribes.'