Striking statements from the former Head of the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department in the Ayhan Bora Kaplan case.

10.04.2026 19:44

In the retrial of the ABK criminal organization case, the defendant who is also a complainant, Kerem Gökay Öner, the then Director of the Smuggling and Organized Crime Department, stated that he did not methodologically agree with Murat Çelik, the then Deputy Chief of Police of Ankara, saying, "My superior was giving illegal orders. I did not want to stay any longer in an environment where I could not choose my own personnel or my chain of command. I have not experienced the difficulties and stress I faced in those 8 months anywhere else."

Ayhan Bora Kaplan (ABK) is facing a trial regarding a case formed by merging files that include the police officers who conducted the operation, Kaplan's lawyers, and the secret witness codenamed Serdar Sertçelik, following the annulment of some sentences given to 61 defendants, 17 of whom are in custody, by the appellate court.

In the hearing held at the Sincan Prison Campus by the Ankara 32nd Heavy Penal Court, the detained defendants, including Ayhan Bora Kaplan, were present. The complainant defendants, former Director of the Organized Crime Fighting Department Şevket Demircan, former Deputy Chief of Ankara Police Department Murat Çelik, and commissioners Metehan İlkyaz and Gökhan Karaca were also present in the courtroom. Former KOM Branch Manager Kerem Gökay Öner and commissioner Ufuk Gültekin participated in the hearing via SEGBİS.

During the hearing, the defense of Murat Çelik's lawyers was presented. First, lawyer Cengiz Varol made a defense statement. Varol stated, "It is seen that actions are being taken by infiltrating the judiciary at the highest level, a segment of politics, the police, and the media. They are acting in coordination with the media and politics. This has been the principle of operation for organizations since Al Capone. If organizations have infiltrated the state, it is indisputable that the state has also infiltrated the organization. They have been told to go and dismantle this organization; they have received such orders."

Varol, expressing that they were together on the day the police officers were detained, said, "That day I told my friends, 'If you prosecute these friends on the grounds that they attempted a coup against a party, you will find neither police nor prosecutor to fight against these organizations.' Indeed, the organization has succeeded, and our friends have spent 113 days in prison."

"SERTÇELİK HAD TO FLEE BECAUSE HE WAS EXPOSED"

Varol continued his defense as follows:

"The summary of the matter is this: Serdar Sertçelik chose to be a secret witness because he fled from numerous investigations attributed to him, and when this came out, he had no other way to escape. He was exposed due to the organization's infiltration into the state and had to flee. Cengiz Haliç is acting as if 'Ayhan Bora Kaplan is inside, he cannot get out. Let's fill his place.' As can be understood from the conversation between Cengiz Haliç and Murat Çelik, he has come to the Police Department and spilled everything."

"DOCUMENTS SHOWING THE ORGANIZATION BOUGHT A CAR FOR YÜKSEL KOCAMAN EMERGED"

There are five expert reports regarding this phone, which is claimed to belong to Serdar Sertçelik. The prosecution has confirmed it from all sides. Moreover, almost all of the conversations in the phone have taken place. Therefore, we believe this phone is real. Although my brother Serdar claims theatrically 'What did he want from Yüksel Kocaman,' the receipt has emerged. It has also been documented that the organization bought a car for Yüksel Kocaman. This means that this organization has infiltrated and taken over up to the highest point of the judiciary. In fact, I would go further and say that I do not think Yüksel Kocaman was aware of this. Because the receipts have been kept as a threat or blackmail against Yüksel Kocaman in the future.

"THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ORGANIZATION THE STATE HAS DISMANTLED, AND IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST"

What we have heard in this court is a flimsy scenario. Efforts are being made to evade punishment by trying to load the crime and responsibility onto others. This organization is not the first that the Republic of Turkey has dismantled, and it will not be the last. The state is always 18 years old. I request the acquittal of my client and that he be exempted from the hearings until the opinion on the merits is presented due to being a public official and having ongoing investigations.

KEREM GÖKAY ÖNER: I DID NOT MEET WITH SERDAR SERTÇELİK

After Varol's defense, the defense of the complainant defendant, former KOM Branch Manager Kerem Gökay Öner, was taken. Öner emphasized that he had not communicated with Serdar Sertçelik face-to-face or through the internet in any way before, stating, "I did not meet with any public prosecutor regarding Serdar Sertçelik being a secret witness. Regarding the incident of Serdar Sertçelik being injured at the soup kitchen, my Chief Murat Çelik told me, 'The Public Order Branch is your turn, investigate the inquiry, what could be the reason?' So I investigated. After I conveyed the information to him, Murat Çelik said, 'Should we carry out these procedures?' I replied, 'Mr. Chief, this person is both our suspect and our secret witness, and now he is also a victim. Therefore, I think another branch should handle it. Because we are biased.'

Öner recalled that a detention order was issued for 16 people, including Sertçelik, in the second operation against the ABK criminal organization, and explained the process as follows:

"Commissioner Gökhan Karaca informed that due to Sertçelik's injury, the doctor prepared a report and his statement needed to be taken at his residence. I requested that the documents be brought to me. I said, 'If the prosecutor has given an instruction in this direction, implement it.' It was morning when the statement was taken. Then around noon, we could not reach him at 3:00 PM. At that time, we were carrying out the transfers of the other suspects. Due to the suspect not being found at the address, a new instruction was given for his capture. Upon this, I called the Intelligence Branch Manager and requested an urgent signal detection. He also requested the request in writing. I quickly conveyed it in writing. Then I was told, 'There is no signal.' I requested a detailed investigation.

"HOW CAN I KIDNAP A SECRET WITNESS I DO NOT KNOW WITH PEOPLE I DO NOT KNOW?"

Let me come to the issue of Sertçelik's escape abroad. On November 23, 2023, I received a message on my phone. It was about Serdar Sertçelik having left for Istanbul. I immediately sent this message to my assistant Şevket Demircan. This message had also been forwarded to me, and it was noted that it was forwarded. I requested confirmation of this. They told me they could not detect the vehicle.

In the indictment, it is stated that Sertçelik was within the province of Ankara from November 27 to December 1. Four different vehicles were used in his escape. This means that the information I received was proven to be incorrect in its content on the day it was created. I have also requested the identification of the person who sent me the message, and I am repeating that request. If I had stopped all black Audi vehicles in Ankara that day, Sertçelik would not have come out of any of them because he was not in that vehicle. Despite all this, it is stated in the indictment that 'they wrote to each other knowing they had escaped.' I do not know the people who kidnapped Serdar Sertçelik. How can I kidnap a secret witness I do not know with people I do not know? They have even done base work with a line I used 20 years ago and that no longer belongs to me and matched my base with the suspects. Moreover, I work on the third floor of the Ankara Police Department. I can already provide a common base with everyone passing through this route.

"I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE STRESS I LIVED IN 8 MONTHS ANYWHERE ELSE"

Öner, expressing that there were disagreements between him and Murat Çelik due to their methods and that he requested his dismissal during this process, stated the following in his defense:

"The ethical rules in my profession, which I have passionately pursued since I was 14 years old, are my red lines.

"WHEN THE PROBLEM GREW, I REQUESTED MY RESIGNATION"

So, when this problem grew, I requested my resignation. One day, I met with the Chief of Police. He told me there, 'I heard you were going to the courthouse to provide information.' I could not accept this because it was not true. This is where the problems started and grew even more. I was so overwhelmed that one day I made a written request to leave the position. Another one of our directors told me, 'The Organized Crime Branch Director does not step down like that. Tear up your petition. Get your head together. Then you can meet with the director again.'

"MY HOUSE WAS SEARCHED LIKE A TERRORIST'S HOUSE"

My house was searched like a terrorist's house. My child and wife must have been devastated. I was subjected to a search that was beyond legal, moral, and ethical bounds. I was searched harshly in front of my wife and my daughters, who were in tears. Who gave the order for such harsh treatment? I have always been slandered for seeing the truth, and this is my struggle.

"I WENT TO THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND GAVE MY PASSWORD"

Everyone is asking why I was not arrested. I have never said this before, but I will now. They forcibly asked for my phone password during the search of my house. Because of the reasons I mentioned, I made a note and said, 'I will write my password and give it to the prosecutor.' I then went to the prosecutor's office and gave my password. I conducted operations against FETÖ, but I was reported as a FETÖ member. These were said to a person who wanted to die for this state. I was not treated differently. I am involved in every case along with them. I have been reassigned three times. The number of investigations I have undergone is countless.

"I DO NOT HAVE A PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH CRIMINALS, I DO NOT HAVE SUCH A METHOD"

One day, my director called me to his office, and Cengiz Haliç was there. My director asked me, 'Do you know lawyer Cengiz Haliç?' I said, 'I do not know him.' He also said he did not know me. My director said, 'How can you not know each other?' One day he also asked, 'Do you know Şahin Turgut?' I said, 'I do not know him.' Am I obliged to know? My director was right when he said that our methods did not match. Yes, it was true; they did not match. My method is like this; I know with the equipment provided by the state. I am also an organized director like this. I do not have a personal connection with criminals; I do not have such a method. Murat Director told me, 'Some names are mentioned in the file of suspect Bora Kaplan; of course, you seem to hesitate when you see their names.' I replied, 'Is that possible? I have no connection outside my duty.' "

When the President of the Court mentioned these names, he said, "Alp Aslan, police officer named Serdar, director named Kürşad."

Öner continued his defense as follows:

"I could no longer endure, and I even spoke with our Deputy Governor Abdullah Bey and the then Head of the Organized Crime Department, Şükrü Yaman. Then, Director Murat Çelik said, 'Okay, the operations have grown; I will take you, but give me a few months.' Then I was already expelled. "

In this investigation, I did my best to strictly follow the instructions coming from the courthouse. I also saw the recorded conversations during the investigation. I am still a Chief of Police serving in a terrorist zone. The investigation file was given to some journalists last night. I am complaining about the person or persons who sent this. "

After Öner's defense, the President of the Court asked his questions. When asked about the allegations that there was a room for interviews in the police department where suspects were subjected to violence, Öner replied, "There is no special interview room where the statements of suspects are taken. Our Murat Director had a sports equipment placed there. I only saw Ayhan Bora Kaplan there for 5 minutes once. Even then, it was crowded, and they had taken him there."

When the President of the Court asked Öner to give an example of the differences in methods with Murat Çelik, Öner said, "While I was at the courthouse, the operation taking place without me being involved is an example."

"I DID NOT KNOW THAT MY DIRECTOR MURAT ÇELİK WOULD GO ON THE OPERATION, I HAD NO IDEA"

During the cross-examination, former Organized Crime Branch Director Kerem Gökay was asked whether he had any information about whether the Deputy Chief of Police of Ankara would participate in the operation on the day of the incident. Öner replied, "I did not know that my director Murat Çelik would go on the operation; I had no idea. Murat Director told me to stay at the courthouse and follow the incoming and outgoing documents. I even asked, 'What are you saying, Director?' He said, 'You stay here.'"

The hearing was adjourned to Monday, April 13.