In the Sinan Ateş assassination case, 10 defendants were released on bail with judicial control.

The fifth hearing of the trial regarding the murder of Sinan Ateş, the former General Chairman of the Idealist Hearths, was held today in Ankara. Witnesses were heard in the trial that has been ongoing throughout the week.

COURT ANNOUNCED INTERIM DECISION

After the completion of witness statements, the court announced its interim decision. The 10 defendants in the case were released with a travel ban and judicial control conditions. The court adjourned the trial until July 19.

CHP DEPUTY TANAL WAS REMOVED FROM THE COURTROOM

The presiding judge reminded at the beginning of the hearing that CHP Şanlıurfa Deputy Mahmut Tanal was removed from the courtroom yesterday for "insulting the presiding judge." The judge stated that Tanal was present in the courtroom during this session as well and requested his removal. Mahmut Tanal then left the courtroom.

WITNESS STATEMENTS WERE TAKEN

Witness statements were taken in today's session of the trial. Witness Yusuf Mert stated that he is a motorcycle courier and that he delivered an order on the day of the incident. Mert stated that he encountered the individuals who fled while waiting at a traffic light and said, "The person on the motorcycle was wearing a helmet, but the person sitting behind did not have one. They were driving the motorcycle fast, which caught my attention. I did not see any weapons. The part of the license plate other than '35 E' was taped. I have no other information or observations."

Witness Yavuz Süleymanoğlu stated that he knew the defendant Aytaç Ataç because he was the owner of a café. Süleymanoğlu stated that he did not know Ateş and learned about the murder when his friend called him. He used the following statements; "My friend told me that the head of the hearths was killed near the place where we were. When I asked who it was, he said 'Sinan Ateş.' I said that I did not hear any noise. Aytaç asked, 'What happened?' I said, 'They killed him,' mentioning the name of the deceased. Aytaç then called Tolgahan. I do not know what the other side said. When I asked Aytaç, 'What happened?' he said, 'I don't know.'

Witness Gönül Ergin stated that she had a doctor's appointment on the day of the incident and heard gunshots while driving in her car after finishing work. Ergin stated that she did not witness the moment of the incident and said, "While looking around, I saw someone running with a long-barreled gun in his left hand. The person did not have a hat or mask on his head. I saw him get on the motorcycle that was waiting for him and they moved. I did not know who the person who was shot was. I took a photo of the person getting on the motorcycle. When the police asked, I said that I could send it via WhatsApp, and then I sent it."

"I TOOK THE GUNS TO THE OFFICE TO PREVENT THEM FROM GETTING LOST"

Witness Ahmet Keçik stated that on the day of the incident, they went from Ateş's office in Çukurambar to the mosque. Keçik stated that while returning to the office after the prayer, a person suddenly emerged from behind the car and started shooting at Sinan Ateş rapidly. Keçik said the following; "As far as I remember, he shot towards his body. Upon this, I took cover behind a car. The person kept shooting at the deceased. I saw the gun on the deceased's waist. At that moment, I felt the need to defend myself and took the gun from his waist. I fired a few shots without aiming at the person. When I checked the deceased, he did not respond. Selman was also injured. Since both Selman and the deceased were injured, I took the two guns to the office to prevent them from getting lost. I handed them over to the sister who works in the office, saying 'Don't let the guns get lost.' Then I returned. I started to apply first aid to the deceased's wounds. I called the police and medical teams."

Doğukan Çep's lawyer Emine Tosun asked Keçik about the statement of the hitman Eray Özyağci, who claimed to have heard the words "We shot the leader." Keçik replied, "I used to call him 'Chairman' because he was the Chairman of the Idealist Hearths. I never addressed him as 'Leader'." Later in the hearing, witness Gökhan Türkmen, who is the owner of the hotel where defendant Doğukan Çep stayed after the murder, was heard. Türkmen stated that he learned about Ateş's death from news websites the next day and had no information about the incident.

Türkmen stated that he knew Alper Atay, one of the defendants, because he was the president of a sports club. Türkmen said, "I do not know Doğukan Çep. On New Year's Day, Alper Atay asked me for a room. I did not know who he wanted the room for. I told him that the rooms were full because it was New Year's, but I could arrange the room used by the staff for him. I do not know if Alper stayed in the room. He had a friend with him, but he did not provide any information about who he would stay with."

The presiding judge of the court stated that there were contradictions between Türkmen's statement to the prosecutor and his statement in court. Türkmen was reminded that he had stated in his statement to the prosecutor that when he asked who would stay in the room, Atay showed him one of the defendants, Caner Güney. Türkmen was then asked to make an identification in the courtroom. Türkmen claimed that the person shown to him by Atay was not Güney, but a fair-skinned individual.