23.03.2025 15:40
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç emphasized that the investigation in which Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) President Ekrem İmamoğlu was also arrested is ongoing, and made a noteworthy call. Minister Tunç stated, "Those in positions of responsibility should avoid statements that could lead to misunderstandings in society."
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In the 'corruption' investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Murat Ongun, Beylikdüzü Mayor Murat Çalık, Ahmet Köksal, Ali İlbak, Adem Tuncay, Ali Nuhoğlu, Alper Aydın, Mete Sarısaltun, Murat Abbas, Kamil Timur Delibaş, Eyüp Subaşı, Serdal Taşkın, Serkan Öztürk, Mustafa Nihat Sütlaş, Süleyman Atik, Ahmet Çiçek, Yusuf İlbak, Servet Yıldırım, Serdar Haydanlı, Buğra Gökçe, Ertan Yıldız, and Tuncay Yılmaz was decided.
41 SUSPECTS RELEASED
As part of the investigations, 41 people, including Ahmet Palazoğlu, Alihan Aydın, Ercan Saatçi, Canan Münüklü, Cemal Ufuk Karakaya, Birsen Şahin, Vahit Doğan, Alperen Aydın, Bayram Taşkın, and Yusuf Yüce, were released under judicial control and a travel ban.
3 ARRESTS IN 'CITY CONSENSUS' INVESTIGATION
In the 'city consensus' investigation, while the prosecutor's request for the arrest of İmamoğlu was rejected, the arrest of Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, and Reform Institute Director Mehmet Ali Çalışkan was decided.
EXPECTED STATEMENT FROM MINISTER TUNÇ
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç, who made evaluations regarding the investigation in which Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was also arrested, emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and made a notable warning. In a statement he made on his X account, Minister Tunç said: "As part of the investigations conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, detention, judicial control, and release decisions have been made by the Duty Peace Criminal Court regarding some suspects, including the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality."
Judicial processes are progressing in an open manner in our legal system, and the relevant investigations are still ongoing. Judges are bound by the scope of the case when making decisions in the investigations and prosecutions they are examining; they reach a legal conclusion based on the claims, defenses, and evidence regarding the alleged charges.
"IT IS WRONG TO PULL LEGAL EVALUATIONS INTO A POLITICAL GROUND"
In this context, it is incorrect to characterize the ongoing judicial investigation as a "political investigation," and pulling legal evaluations into a political ground can lead to misunderstandings in the public and constitutes a violation of the principle of the Rule of Law.
As a requirement of the principle of the Rule of Law and the trust in the judiciary, the process should be expected to be completed in all its aspects, and interpretations and evaluations should be approached with moderation in this context. It should not be forgotten that justice is realized only through independent and impartial judicial authorities that make decisions on behalf of the Turkish nation. Therefore, it should be remembered that those in positions of responsibility, especially, should act with more care, diligence, and a sense of responsibility in their statements and avoid expressions that could lead to misunderstandings in society.
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