15.08.2025 22:23
The lawyer Rezan Epözdemir, who was arrested in Istanbul for the crime of 'facilitating bribery', has been placed in the Karatepe Correctional Institution in Çorlu, Tekirdağ.
Lawyer Rezan Epözdemir, who was referred to the courthouse as part of two separate investigations conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, was arrested by the court he was referred to on charges of 'facilitating bribery'.
HE WAS TAKEN TO ÇORLU
Epözdemir was brought to the Karatepe Correctional Institution in Çorlu, Tekirdağ, by a prison transfer vehicle belonging to the gendarmerie from Istanbul. After his processing, he was admitted to the prison around 10:45 PM.
THE PROSECUTOR'S STATEMENT HAS EMERGED
Rezan Epözdemir's statement given in the "bribery" investigation, in which he was arrested, has also emerged. In his statement, Epözdemir said, "The file should be sent to the HSK (Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors) and the valuable documents should be returned to us. Documents related to private life should be destroyed. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office does not have the authority to collect evidence for this reason. Therefore, all evidence obtained within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is unlawful according to the principle that 'the fruit of a poisonous tree is also poisonous.' It cannot be used as evidence."
"HE DEMANDED MONEY ON THE BASIS THAT HE WOULD SLANDER ME WITH A SETUP"
When asked whether he knew a person named A. D. and how often they met over the years, Epözdemir replied, "I met A. D. through a mutual friend at a time I cannot recall exactly. In 2018, A. D. gave me power of attorney to follow up on his files. After learning that the man was a fraudster, I resigned from his legal representation. As can be seen from A. D.'s criminal record, he is a fraudster. He is being prosecuted for bribery. Additionally, A. D. has been demanding money from me for about 5 years, claiming that if I do not pay, he will slander me with a setup using foreign numbers."
"WE HAVE A LEGAL DISPUTE BETWEEN US"
When asked about individuals named Z. Y., A. M. Y., K. Y., and N. E., Epözdemir stated, "I do not know Z. Y., A. M. Y., and N. E. I have never seen them in my life. There has been no communication between us, neither face-to-face nor through GSM or other means. K. Y. was the secretary of C. Ç. I had no contact with him. I would see C. Ç. in his office whenever I visited him."
When asked about claims that K. Y. had message records with Epözdemir and that K. Y. was gifted a jersey, and that A. D. and the informant Z. Ç. used K. Y. to contact Epözdemir regarding C. Ç.'s bribery actions, he said, "I do not remember having any contact with K. Y. Z. Ç. has testified in favor of me in FETÖ setup cases. We have 3 compensation cases and 1 criminal case against Z. Ç. Therefore, we have a legal dispute between us. He is setting me up at the behest of the people he receives instructions from."
"THE WHATSAPP RECORD DATES DO NOT MATCH THE BRIBERY ALLEGATION"
Responding to a question about the allegations that witness A. D. claimed that he would ensure the release of detained suspects for $150,000 in exchange for Rezan Epözdemir, he stated, "The suspects mentioned in the file were released on 15.06.2021. A. D. claimed in his statement that an agreement was made for $150,000 in bribes regarding this file. The message in the record you provided is dated 07.07.2021. While I do not accept Atalay's statement at all, according to the statement, I should have received this money by 14.06.2021 at the latest. On 07.07.2021, when the message records you provided were made, these individuals were already being tried without detention. These individuals were detained again on 29.09.2021, when the crime was committed, which is also the subject of the Yargıtay 5th Criminal Chamber's trial. They were later released under judicial control. I do not remember whether I met with prosecutor C. Ç. on 07.07.2021 or around that date, and if I did meet, I do not remember whether C. Ç. made a payment to me regarding a debt I had previously given him. It has been about 5 years since then. Not remembering is contrary to the ordinary course of life," he stated.
"ALL OF THIS EVIDENCE IS UNLAWFUL"
During the search of Epözdemir's office, two bonds worth a total of 2 million 490 thousand lira were seized, with prosecutor C. Ç. being the debtor and Rezan Epözdemir being the creditor. When it was determined that the phones of prosecutor C. Ç. and Rezan Epözdemir sent signals from a common base station on the night of 08.07.2021, it was concluded that one of the bonds was issued in exchange for the bribe money remaining with C. Ç. Responding to a question regarding this matter, Epözdemir stated, "The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office does not have the authority to collect evidence for this reason. Therefore, all evidence obtained within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is unlawful according to the principle that 'the fruit of a poisonous tree is also poisonous.' It cannot be used as evidence. Therefore, these bonds, which are of unlawful evidence nature, should not be the subject of the investigation. I do not want to answer questions regarding the bonds obtained through unlawful searches. They cannot be relied upon in the judgment. These documents are of a nature that supports my claim for receivables. I would also like to state that I will make legal applications to the HSK regarding this matter."
USE OF THE PROSECUTOR'S PASSWORD
Responding to a question regarding the allegations that prosecutor C. Ç. was processing with his UYAP password, Epözdemir stated, "I absolutely do not accept the statements of K. Y. and the fraudster A. D. It is not possible for me to inquire about any personal data through C. Ç.'s prosecutorial role. These are statements that come from the same source, given for a benefit, organized by a secret hand, and directed for the purpose of setup. No clear statement has been made about which person I was inquiring about. A lawyer can examine any file he wants without presenting a power of attorney. These are abstract statements."
ALLOCATION OF VEHICLES TO THE PROSECUTOR, USE OF PROTECTION VEHICLE
Responding to a question regarding the determination that one of the two vehicles provided under the protection order for prosecutor C. Ç. was used by him and that this situation was recorded as being allocated under the protection order given to C. Ç. between 12.06.2019 and 05.10.2021, Epözdemir stated, "I do not remember exactly due to the time that has passed, but I either allocated it for the use of C. Ç.'s spouse or because there was a problem with C. Ç.'s vehicle, I had given it to him as a loan. During a significant portion of this time, he used the vehicle himself."
"I RESERVE MY RIGHT TO COMPENSATION"
After his statement, when asked for his final words, Epözdemir said, "I have no suspicion of evidence tampering or fleeing based on my position as of the date of the incident. I reserve my right to compensation due to the clearly unauthorized judicial control and search operations."
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My son is studying language in London. Round-trip tickets to London were purchased on July 23, well before the date of the investigation. I request the removal of the current judicial control to prevent further loss of rights and, for the reasons I have stated, I ask to be released without any judicial control measures. I am also submitting the documents related to the flight reservations to the file. I request that an investigation be initiated ex officio against the individuals who made statements against me for the crime of defamation under Article 267 of the Turkish Penal Code," he stated.
HIS PASSPORT WAS SEIZED, A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED AT HIS WORKPLACE
The lawyer Rezan Epözdemir, who is involved in critical cases discussed in Turkey, was detained on Sunday. As part of the investigation, Epözdemir's passport was also seized. Security forces conducted a search at Epözdemir's workplace in Levent. Since that day, Epözdemir's procedures at the police have been ongoing.
ALLEGATION OF A $150,000 BRIBE
It was learned that a confidentiality decision was made regarding the investigation against Epözdemir, and later the statement of a witness named A. D. was taken. In his statement, the witness A. D. claimed that Epözdemir received a bribe and pointed to three different actions. The prosecutor's office separated the file for obtaining permission for investigation in two of these actions due to the existence of a power of attorney relationship. In the incident in 2021, where there was no power of attorney relationship, it was alleged that Epözdemir and C. Ç. received a bribe of $150,000 in exchange for a release process.
DINNER WITH MICHAEL RUBIN
It was also revealed that the dispatch letter to the court requesting judicial control for Epözdemir regarding the charges of "aiding the FETÖ/PDY armed terrorist organization" and "political and military espionage" was obtained. The letter reminded that an investigation was initiated regarding an event where the suspect and individuals connected to some foreign intelligence services were believed to have met at a dinner, which was featured in a photo in the national press at the end of 2024. The dispatch letter stated, "It is assessed that the foreign national named Michael Rubin, who was present at the mentioned dinner, has been conducting activities against the Republic of Turkey in the USA, and is also connected to the American Foreign Intelligence Service, and that his activities are directed by this service."
"INCONSISTENT WITH THE ORDINARY COURSE OF LIFE"
The letter stated that Dan Arbell in the photo is connected to the Israeli State's Foreign Affairs and indirectly to MOSSAD, and it was expressed that "Epözdemir's meeting with these individuals cannot be evaluated as consistent with the ordinary course of life." It was noted that Epözdemir's defense would be considered as an attempt to escape from the crime. The letter also stated that Michael Rubin's sharing after Epözdemir was detained should be evaluated as "evidence against the allegations."
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