In the case of Aziz İhsan Aktaş, 5 defendants including Kadir Aydar were released.

22.04.2026 17:32

In the case against the alleged criminal organization, which is claimed to have organized tender processes by bribing mayors and is said to be led by Aziz İhsan Aktaş, Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar, who was removed from his duty, and 4 defendants were released.

The Istanbul 1st High Criminal Court issued a release order for 5 individuals in the interim decision of the Aziz İhsan Aktaş case. The hearing was postponed to April 27th.

Within the scope of the 'Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization' investigation, the trial continued for 200 defendants, some detained and some not, including 7 mayors, 5 of whom are detained. In the previous hearing, the panel decided to release defendants Önder Gedik, Mehmet Karataş, Mustafa Yolcu, Adnan Acar, Mehmet Şimşek, Rana Uysal, and Sencer Hacıoğlu. The hearing was held in hall number 3 across from the Marmara Closed Penal Execution Institution due to the insufficient capacity of the Istanbul 1st High Criminal Court.

"HOW COULD I MEDIATE"

Avcılar Deputy Mayor Erhan Daka stated that he had no relationship with the mayor and deputy mayor at the municipality on the date of the incident subject to the indictment. Noting that he served as the provincial deputy chairman of the CHP at that time, Daka expressed that he carried out election campaigns in the 3rd district for the March 31 local elections. Regarding the claim that Avcılar Municipality received 16 vehicles for election campaigns, Daka said, "I have no knowledge of these vehicles. No vehicle was delivered to me. I was the CHP Provincial Deputy Chairman at that time. I was continuing the work for the March 31 election." Stating that he has been detained for 1 year with baseless allegations, Daka said, "There is neither bribery nor mediation. Aziz İhsan Aktaş and Akın Kumanlı, who benefited from effective remorse, say there is no bribery. How could I mediate when there is no bribery. I do not understand what the prosecutor bases the bribery allegation on. I have been detained for 1 year with a completely empty, baseless allegation. All evidence has been collected in the file. Considering that there is no evidence to be collected against me, no person to be heard, I request you to end my 11-month detention."

"I DID NOT RECEIVE 300 THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM İHSAN AKTAŞ"

Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar, who requested release, said, "I am being tried because of my father's legitimate trade with İhsan Aktaş. My father is a famous businessman in Adana, he has no business or connection with the municipality. I also have no connection with his businesses. Aktaş liked and purchased 2 apartments from a project belonging to my father's company. I should not have been detained for 12 months because of this. İhsan Aktaş says, 'They sold me the 4 million apartment for 4-5 times its value.' First, I have no relation to this trade. Second, 4 million is the figure appearing on the title deed. No one in Turkey shows the full amount they purchased on the title deed. Both the prosecution and expert reports show that the bare state of the apartment is 16 million. Moreover, this person has not paid for the apartments. I did not receive 300 thousand dollars or anything from İhsan Aktaş; if I had received it, I would not hide it. My father sold a house, what would I deny. On July 25th, his total receivable from the municipality is 1.5 million. Now, did this person forcibly purchase an apartment for 4-5 times its value to get that 1.5 million? The court should not rely on this. I should not have been detained for 13 months because of this. Aktaş says, 'They sold me the 4 million apartment for 4-5 times its value.' I have no relation or connection to this trade. Also, the 4 million figure is the amount shown on the apartment's title deed. How many people, especially our president, show the real value of the vehicle, house, land they purchased from Turkey on the title deed; no one. Moreover, it is established by prosecution and expert reports that even the bare state of the apartment is 16 million. Now, do not rely on my statement nor İhsan Aktaş's statement. These are just statements; but there is one truth in the file, both prosecution and expert reports show that the bare state of this apartment is 16 million. So, shouldn't the expert reports be relied upon? Where is selling an apartment for 4-5 times its value? I did not receive the 300 thousand dollars or anything from İhsan Aktaş. If I had received it, I would not hide it. Because my father sold a house, there was trade between them. Why would we deny it. Is selling an apartment not a crime, but asking for its money, receiving its money a crime? If we had received it, we would say we received it. All of Aktaş's statements are lies and slander. In his effective remorse statement prepared with his lawyers for 2 months, İhsan Aktaş says nothing about vehicle sales. He remembers the meeting with my father Mustafa Aydar on July 25th, but somehow does not remember the vehicle and the date July 31st. This person did business with my father. He purchased 2 apartments, one vehicle from my father; but somehow half of this sale becomes 'Bribery', half becomes profitable trade. He calls the apartment sale bribery, the vehicle sale trade with profit. What kind of thing is this? As I said, it is physically impossible to sell it in July. There is no such vehicle at that date. Therefore, my father cannot sell a non-existent imaginary vehicle to İhsan Aktaş and give its money in an imaginary way. Can there be bribery on credit?"

"MY LAWYERS SUBMITTED A 500-PAGE REPORT"

Detained Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat claimed that the investigation authority based the indictment on the assumption that 'Rıza Akpolat had never done any commercial business until 2019, had no income, earnings, all his income was earned after the mayoralty,' saying, "Accusations were made based on this basic assumption. 2 days ago, my lawyers submitted a 500-page report to the court. All the work done by me and my family in the 20 years before 2019 is present. You can find all the documents. I feel ashamed to talk about these here." Rıza Akpolat said, "Allegedly, a bribery pool was established in Beşiktaş and I purchased hotel and reservation tickets from this pool. All these payments are not worth the price of one apartment in the project I did. I feel ashamed to say this. Why am I forced to disclose my family's assets? The confessor does not know my father, does not know what he did. We are trying to make sense of why people called 'our children' have been turned into this state, but we say 'There must be a reason.' As a family, we have experienced very difficult things, but due to our belief in justice, we stand strong here. If it is proven that I used a single penny for my personal expenses, I am ready to resign here. If I used a single penny from the alleged bribery pool for my private life, I am ready to resign here. We are being tried to be punished for an act that was attempted to be forced."

"I NEITHER TOOK BRIBERY NOR WAS A PART OF IT"

Detained Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara, claiming that he also made progress payments in full during his term as mayor, said 'While it is established that the crime of 'bid rigging' did not occur, "Why am I being tried with the crime of bid rigging?" Çaykara, stating that his candidacy was announced 39 days before the local elections and he did not know which district he would be a candidate for until it was announced, said, "I took to the field the very next day after the announcement. I had only one goal, to win the election. I am not the only candidate alone; I have 34 council member friends. I have hundreds of party friends. It coincided with Ramadan, we held iftar, sahur. We distributed brochures."

RELEASE DECISION FOR 5 DEFENDANTS

The court panel adjourned the hearing to evaluate the requests. The court decided to release the detained defendants: Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar, Beşiktaş Municipality Cleaning Works Manager Çağdaş Ateşçi, Beşiktaş Municipality support services personnel Gülşah Ocak, Beşiktaş Municipality Support Services Manager Ferit Tutşi, and former Beşiktaş Municipality Support Services Manager Gülal Erdovan Anıl. The court panel ruled for the continuation of detention for 11 people and postponed the hearing to Monday, April 27.