Striking confession in the İBB investigation: 232 million in bribes for a 3 billion receivable.

10.06.2025 19:26

Ahmet Sari, a businessman who was released after giving a statement under the effective remorse provision in the corruption investigation against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, stated that the payment of over 3 billion lira, which he is entitled to from the IMM, has not been made. He also mentioned that during this process, suspects Fatih Keleş and Ertan Yıldız received approximately 232 million lira from him on 26 different occasions.

```html

The "corruption" investigation against suspects, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was removed from his position as the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) after his arrest by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, continues. The charges include "being a leader of a criminal organization," "being a member of a criminal organization," "bribery," "extortion," "qualified fraud," "illegally obtaining personal data," and "interfering with a tender."

THE TESTIMONY OF THE COOPERATING BUSINESSMAN AHMET SARI HAS EMERGED

In the investigation, businessman Ahmet Sari and his brother İsmail Sari were released under judicial control measures of "not leaving the residence" after giving statements to the prosecutor's office under the effective remorse provisions. Suspect Ahmet Sari stated in his testimony at the prosecutor's office that his monthly income was 1 million lira.

"I FACED DIFFICULTIES AFTER 2019"

Sari stated that he had previously explained the development of his company and the difficulties he faced after İmamoğlu became the Mayor of IMM in 2019 in court. He mentioned that he experienced troubled processes with IMM from 2019 to 2023, during which he had significant receivables from various departments and subsidiaries of IMM, and that he sought legal ways to collect them, but could not recover some of them.

"I HAD TO DELIVER CASH TO ERTAN YILDIZ 9 TIMES AND TO FATIH KELEŞ 17 TIMES"

Suspect Sari continued his statement as follows: "As far as I remember, towards the end of 2022, I was invited by a secretary to the fifth floor of the IMM Additional Service Building in Bakırköy to meet with IMM Sports Club President Fatih Keleş and IMM Subsidiaries and Affiliated Organizations Commission President Ertan Yıldız. Keleş and Yıldız told me that I could not collect my receivables without giving them money. They said, 'There is a system operating here, and this money is necessary for this system.' Although we initially resisted this offer, due to the commercial difficulties we faced and our inability to collect payments for the jobs we had, I had to deliver cash to Ertan Yıldız 9 times and to Fatih Keleş 17 times during that period."

"THEY WERE PERSONALLY COLLECTING THE MONEY THROUGH DIFFERENT DRIVERS"

Sari stated that he delivered some of the mentioned money to Keleş in Bakırköy and some at the former presidential residence in Florya to Keleş's brother, suspect Zafer Keleş, and a person he knew as "Murat." He added, "The money given to Ertan Yıldız was personally collected from our company through different drivers sent by Yıldız. The person who would come to the company was reported to us by Ziya Gökmen Togay (suspect, IMM Board Chairman). Yıldız and Keleş told me that these money processes should not be reflected to the general managers in any way. However, I do not remember the exact date, but after the 2024 elections, Fatih Keleş told me that 'from now on, no payments requested by Ertan Yıldız should be made.' Although I do not know the exact reason, I think it may be because the money taken from us by Ertan Yıldız did not go fully to Fatih Keleş and thus to the system."

"I GAVE APPROXIMATELY 232 MILLION LIRA ON 26 DIFFERENT DATES"

Suspect Sari stated that Yıldız received a total of 63 million lira from him on 9 different dates between November 23, 2022, and June 3, 2024, saying, "The dates I mentioned are the dates we withdrew from our company cash or bank, and the deliveries were made on the same day or within 4-5 days. As I mentioned earlier, these amounts were collected by different drivers sent to us through Ziya Gökmen Togay from our company located in Kağıthane. These amounts were mostly paid in dollars and sometimes in lira. I will later submit the bank receipts and cash exit transactions related to these amounts to the file."

Sari claimed that suspect Fatih Keleş also received a total of 169 million 500 thousand lira from him on 17 dates between December 5, 2022, and May 7, 2024, and stated that he would also provide the receipts related to these transactions to the investigation file.

ALLEGATION THAT SUSPECT ALİ SUKAS REQUESTED A VEHICLE FOR HIS WIFE

Ahmet Sari stated that suspect Ali Sukas, General Manager of Ağaç AŞ, requested him to send a bus for election campaigns during his wife's candidacy for parliament, and that he had to accept the request due to significant receivables.

Suspect Sari noted: "During this process, due to this structure, I got to know Arif Gürkan Alpay (suspect, IMM Deputy Secretary General), who has been acting together with Fatih Keleş since Beylikdüzü and was following up on very large projects. The general managers of the IMM subsidiaries did not request any benefits from me during this process. I think the reason for this is that these individuals are fed by the money system run by Fatih Keleş and did not need anything. Throughout my statement, as I have detailed the dates and amounts of the money taken from me, they put me in a difficult position by not making the payments I deserved for my trade, forcing me to take my receivables. Until the end of 2022, I fought against these individuals and this system. They took this money from me when my company and I had no strength left to resist."

"I AM NOT A SUSPECT OF THIS SYSTEM, I AM A REAL VICTIM"

Sari stated that he was seriously victimized during this process, saying, "These individuals took from me in 2024..."

They were able to receive these payments until the end of the month. However, after this date, I stated that I would not be making any further payments. As can be understood from the documents regarding my receivables from İBB that I will present in the file, I currently have more than 3 billion lira in receivables. In order to escape from this system, we have initiated enforcement and seizure proceedings for many of these receivables before the investigation. At the stage reached in İBB, the biggest indication that these individuals do not make any payments when they understand that you will not pay for the system they have established is what I have described. I am truly not a suspect in this system; I am a real victim.