25.03.2026 00:01
The Istanbul Governorship published a press release regarding the allegations made by former Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan in the court where he is being tried. The statement noted that Şahan's claims do not reflect the truth and are of a distorting nature, while it was stated that the land in question belongs to the Bulgarian Foundation and that the construction permit processes are carried out by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change.
The Istanbul Governorship published a press release regarding the allegations made by former Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan in the court where he is being tried. The statement indicated that the mentioned statements do not reflect the truth and are of a distorting nature.
The statement made is as follows:
"THE LAND BELONGS TO THE BULGARIAN FOUNDATION"
The course and reality of the issue in question are as follows:
The land in question, located in the Kaptanpaşa neighborhood of Şişli district, belongs to the Bulgarian Foundation.
A construction contract was signed between Taş Yapı and the Bulgarian Foundation in 2006 through a land-sharing method.
Taş Yapı obtained the necessary permits from Şişli Municipality for a 72-story construction, and the municipality approved the preliminary project in 2008.
However, Şişli Municipality did not approve the construction permit required for the commencement of the construction of this project, which it had approved the preliminary project for, until 2015 "for reasons unknown to us."
THE NUMBER OF FLOORS WAS REVISED
The company reported the issue to the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization; the Ministry revised the number of floors from 72 to 38 on 14.04.2015 and approved it.
The construction works initiated by the company, which completed the approval process by the Ministry, were obstructed by Şişli Municipality for various reasons.
The company reported the situation to the Ministry of Interior, the Istanbul Governorship, the Şişli District Governorship, and the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, complaining about the arbitrary practices of Şişli Municipality.
In response to the complaint, the Ministry of Interior assigned a chief inspector to investigate the matter.
The meeting between former Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan and our Governor Mr. Davut Gül is also related to this issue, which is the subject of the investigation, and the grievances arising from the attempts of Şişli Municipality to obstruct the rights of the Bulgarian Foundation, which have been expressed on every platform, stemming from zoning plans.
ALL TRANSACTIONS BELONG TO THE PERIOD BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT OF A TRUSTEE
All transactions related to the matter belong to the period before a trustee was appointed to Şişli Municipality. There is no permission granted during the trustee period.
After the arrest of Resul Emrah Şahan and the appointment of a trustee, no administrative action has been taken in favor of the company. Since the planning process in question is conducted by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, it is also not possible to take any action in this regard.
Moreover, it is not possible for a district municipality to take administrative action regarding permits or other transactions within the scope of a "Special Project Area" approved by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization.
Therefore, Resul Emrah Şahan is trying to create the perception that he is exhibiting a so-called "environmental resistance" by claiming that he is resisting in a matter where all approval processes are conducted by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change.
Additionally;
The meeting of our Governor Mr. Davut Gül was conducted as part of his duties within the framework of the requests and allegations conveyed to him, and it is not possible to attribute any different meaning to it.
"SUCH STATEMENTS ARE UNACCEPTABLE"
As a result:
In a case where the judicial process is ongoing, such statements aimed at misleading the public with false allegations are unacceptable. The individual's attempt to dilute the issue by involving third parties and institutions through baseless claims and imaginary scenarios, instead of confronting the legal situation he is in, will not change the truth. It is important for the public not to give credence to such unverified allegations.