14.04.2026 23:46
The hearing of the retrial concerning the Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal organization was marked by the allegations raised by the complainant-defendant, Commissioner Gökhan Karaca, regarding the investigation process. Karaca claimed that prior to the second wave operation, some suspects, including Ayhan Bora Kaplan's brother and his lawyer Cengiz Haliç, were removed from the detention list, while the hearing also addressed the defendants' defenses and the prosecution's requests for continued detention.
In the retrial session of the case concerning the Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal organization, the complainant defendant commissioner Gökhan Karaca claimed that Ahmet Yıkılmaz, the then Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor of Ankara who was conducting the investigation before the second wave operation, ensured the removal of some names from the detention list, primarily including Ayhan Bora Kaplan's brother and his lawyer Cengiz Haliç, who were considered suspects.
In the hearing of the case, which is being tried at the Ankara 32th High Criminal Court in the Sincan Prison Campus and involves 76 defendants, the defendant defenses and witness testimonies drew attention. After some decisions regarding 61 defendants, 17 of whom were previously detained, were overturned by the appellate court; the files were consolidated, including the police officers who carried out the operation, Kaplan's lawyers, and the secret witness with the code name M7, Serdar Sertçelik.
KARACA'S NOTABLE ALLEGATIONS
Complainant defendant commissioner Gökhan Karaca, who made a defense in the hearing, stated that he was included in the file 10-15 days after the start of the operation and said he had no knowledge about the capture process. Karaca expressed that he was included in the project team due to his experience.
In his allegations regarding the period before the second wave operation, Karaca claimed that the then Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Ahmet Yıkılmaz intervened to remove some names from the detention list. In this context, he alleged that for lawyer Cengiz Haliç, against whom there was an arrest warrant, an assessment was made stating "there is an attorney-client relationship."
"THANKFULLY THE VOICE RECORDING WAS TAKEN"
Karaca also referred to the meeting held on the day secret witness Serdar Sertçelik was shot, saying that the voice recording taken during the incident was important. Stating that Sertçelik expressed to them that being shot was a coincidence, Karaca defended that all procedures throughout the process were carried out within the legal framework.
"ALL MY PROCEDURES ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW"
Denying the accusations against him, Karaca also responded to allegations that a fake medical report was obtained. Karaca, stating that the report process was carried out with the knowledge and instruction of the prosecutor's office, said, "All procedures I have performed in my 21-year professional career are in compliance with the law."
İLKYAZ: I DID NOT TAKE PART IN THE OPERATION
Complainant defendant commissioner Metehan İlkyaz, who made a defense in the hearing, stated that he did not take an active role in the operation process and only carried out field duties. İlkyaz expressed that he was not even aware of the situation of secret witness Sertçelik.
The defendants' lawyers also argued that the indictment was not based on concrete evidence, claiming that the accusations were abstract and unfounded.
DEFENDANT DEFENSES DREW ATTENTION
Among the defendants heard in the hearing, Nurullah Özgür Kopuk claimed that he was included in the file through secret witness Serdar Sertçelik and defended that he acted with the aim of assisting his state. Kopuk said he met Sertçelik due to a past incident and later provided information to judicial authorities upon his guidance.
Defendant Mustafa Çotuk, who is being tried for allegedly helping Sertçelik flee abroad, stated that he did not know Sertçelik was a secret witness and was not aware of any escape plan when they went to Istanbul together.
Defendant Ramazan Kubat also denied the allegations of "abduction with a flashing light vehicle" reported in the media, defending that such an incident did not occur.
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: POSSIBILITY OF PRESSURE ON WITNESSES
In the hearing, the prosecutor's office announced its opinion regarding the status of the detained defendants within the scope of both the main file and the consolidated file. In the opinion, it was stated that there is a possibility that some defendants may exert pressure on witnesses, and the continuation of their detention was requested.
DETENTION STATUSES CONTINUED
After the statements, the court panel announcing its interim decision, taking into account the scope of the file, the current evidence situation, and the possibility of pressure on witnesses, ruled for the continuation of the separate detention statuses of defendants Serdar Sertçelik, Ayhan Bora Kaplan, Muhammed Kaplan, Adnan Kaplan, Önder Polat, and Erhan Bakioğlu. The court, stating that the file will be re-evaluated after the witnesses are heard, adjourned the hearing.