The claim of Davut Gül in the İBB case! A swift response came from the Governor of Istanbul.

12.03.2026 14:31

On the fourth day of the İBB trial, the cooperating witness, Ümit Polat, the Purchasing Manager of Ağaç AŞ, stated that Istanbul Governor Davut Gül's cousin, who works at Ağaç AŞ, gave him signals regarding the March 19 operation and said, "Don't make a sound, wait, something will happen soon anyway." Governor Gül responded, "I have no close or distant relatives working at İBB or its subsidiaries."

The trial of the corruption case involving 407 defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was removed from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) presidency, continues on its fourth day. It was observed that the intensity of the gendarmerie was increased during the fourth day of the hearing, where security measures were still in place. The hearing began with the defense of the whistleblower, Purchasing Manager Ümit Polat of Ağaç A. Ş.

THE "DAVUT GÜL" ALLEGATION

Defendant Ümit Polat stated, "Istanbul Governor Davut Gül told me through a relative who works at Ağaç A. Ş., ‘Don’t make a sound, wait, something will happen soon.’ On the one hand, I was thinking about the institution I have served for 25 years. I also thought about going to the prosecutor's office, but it was not an easy decision to report my own institution. Then, with the arrest of Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, the events took a completely different turn. Things started to be discussed, such as what the general manager said, and that Mr. Ertan and other people were involved in this. Until that time, I always thought, ‘Someone up there must be protecting this.’ Then the arrests began. General managers and company executives were taken into custody. During that process, despite there being no arrest warrant, I decided to go and give a statement voluntarily," he said.

GOVERNOR GÜL'S QUICK RESPONSE

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül made a statement on his social media account while the trial was ongoing, saying, "I have no close or distant relatives working in IMM or its subsidiaries."

PROSECUTOR REQUESTED IMAMOĞLU TO BE REMOVED FROM THE COURTROOM

While the prosecutor was asking Ümit Polat about the table showing the budget movements of Ağaç A. Ş. in the indictment, Ekrem İmamoğlu objected, saying, "I oppose the prosecution's reflection of a false table. The prosecution is speaking lies, it is a slanderous body. Your Honor, please do not allow lies."

The prosecutor requested that İmamoğlu be removed from the courtroom for allegedly insulting him, in accordance with Article 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court president did not evaluate the request. İmamoğlu wanted to speak regarding Ağaç A. Ş. The court president stated that he could not give İmamoğlu the right to respond to the allegations one by one, but would grant him the right to speak collectively at the end.

ÜMİT POLAT'S DEFENSE

Ümit Polat, the Purchasing Manager of Ağaç A. Ş., who wanted to benefit from the "effective remorse" provisions twice, said the following in his defense.

"I have been working in the same institution since 1998, which is approximately 25 years. I have held many managerial positions in previous periods as well. In 2019, with the appointment of Ali Sukas, I was appointed as the production planning manager at the beginning of 2020. I had previously held many managerial positions. About 5-6 months later, around the middle of 2020, some problems began to arise in the purchasing department. This period coincided with the years when the pandemic was at its peak. During that time, the relevant manager had to leave due to health issues. He had heart problems, and that department was handed over to me. By the end of the year, I became the purchasing manager officially. Another friend was appointed as the production planning manager. There were no issues until the end of 2021, 2022, and 2023. At the end of 2023, before the parliamentary elections, the general manager's wife, Ms. Berna, was a candidate for parliament. However, during that period, I did not encounter any requests or pressure. She did not make any requests from me in any way. We did not witness any such request through contractors either. Only some rumors were heard. For example, there were rumors that an office was rented somewhere, that it was rented by a company, and that its expenses were covered. However, since no direct instruction was given to the companies to ‘do this, do that,’ I cannot say anything definitive about this matter.

"HE SAID 'WE WILL TAKE 10 PERCENT, I SAID THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE'"

At the beginning of 2024, one day the general manager called me. He said there was a list and ‘We will take 10 percent from the purchases we made, and you will ask for this,’ he said. I told him that such a thing would not be possible. I asked, ‘What money are we asking for? What will we say to people?’ He said, ‘I don’t want it, the upper management wants it.’ I told him that such a thing would not happen, and I would definitely not get involved in such a job. A conversation took place between us where I said, ‘Let the upper management come and ask for it themselves.’

"CONTRACTORS STARTED TO COMPLAIN 'MONEY IS BEING ASKED FROM US'"

This issue was repeated to me once again. However, I again firmly stated that I would not get involved in such a thing. About a week, ten days, or maybe a month passed. During this time, contractors slowly began to tell me their troubles. I have been in the same institution for 25 years. Naturally, a familiarity has developed with contractors who have been working for a long time. These people came and started to complain, saying, ‘We are being asked for this much money.’ One, two, three, and these complaints began to increase. Initially, I thought that the general manager was collecting this money for himself. I thought he was making payments to himself by using ‘the upper management’ as an excuse. Therefore, I began to plan in my mind to report the issue to the place he referred to as ‘the upper management.’ At that time, Duygu Çelik was the production planning manager. Duygu Çelik is a cousin of Erkan Yıldız and was newly appointed. Due to her closeness to Erkan Yıldız, I first shared the situation with her. I said, ‘There is such a situation, it bothers me. I need to talk to Mr. Erkan about this. Please arrange an appointment for me.’ She said, ‘Okay.’ However, 10-15 days, or even 20 days passed. One day she came and said, ‘I mentioned it myself. Mr. Erkan is very upset, he said he would look into it.’ I started to wait. However, again there was no development. During this process, the general manager's attitude towards me began to change. Ignoring me, indifferent behaviors, and warnings through manager friends saying, ‘You talk too much’ started to come.

"WHEN NO RESULT CAME OUT, I DECIDED TO REPORT IT TO PRESIDENT EKREM"

Then I saw that no result was coming out. I decided to report this issue to President Ekrem himself. I shared this situation with Murat Dağdeviren, who had previously worked as a contractor and I knew was close to the president, saying, ‘There is such a situation.’ He said, ‘I will definitely report this.’ After a while, when we spoke again, he said, ‘I reported it, but there has not been any feedback yet.’ He even mentioned Fatih Keleş. I continued to wait. Later, Murat Dağdeviren told me, ‘My father-in-law can reach the president more easily. Let’s go to him.’ Together, we went to a textile factory named Pınar Dokuma or Pınar Örgü in Beylikdüzü. There, we talked with Mr. Mesut for about an hour and a half. I explained the whole situation to him.

ÜMİT POLAT'S ALLEGATION AGAINST GOVERNOR GÜL

Defendant Ümit Polat stated that this process continued like this, that no results came out, and that he was quite disturbed by this situation, and continued as follows:

"In the end, I decided to bring the issue to Istanbul Governor Davut Gül. He is from Erzurum, and so am I. Because I thought there was a serious public loss, and despite this, the inability to do anything was bothering me. The governor told me through his cousin, an employee of Ağaç AŞ, 'Don't make a sound, wait, something will happen soon.' On the one hand, I was thinking about the institution I had served for 25 years. I also thought about going to the prosecutor's office, but it was not an easy decision to complain about my own institution. Then, with the process that started with the arrest of Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, events took a completely different turn. Things like what the general manager said, and that Mr. Ertan and other people were involved in this started to be discussed. Until that time, I always thought, 'Surely someone up there is protecting this.' Then the arrests began. General managers and company executives were taken into custody. During that process, even though there was no arrest warrant against me, I decided to go and give a statement voluntarily."

ÜMİT POLAT RESPONDED TO TAMER GÜMÜŞ'S STATEMENTS

Polat, who stated that he would refute Tamer Gümüş's statements one by one, said, "Now he says: 'If the trees had appreciated and become something else, it would have been contrary to the normal course of life for such high refund invoices to be issued and payments to still be delayed.' It would indeed be like that. The refund invoices we are talking about were our biggest problem. The trees we purchased as first-class during the purchasing processes were coming as second or third class after the contract was signed. This issue had become a matter that everyone was talking about and was on the agenda within the institution. Therefore, we had to issue refund invoices. I also brought this issue up here and we processed it once or twice by discussing the high-value refund invoices with the IT manager and other relevant colleagues," he said.

Ümit Polat stated that there were claims made about him that "he worked in different units for a while after various bribery and corruption allegations came to the fore," and said, "There has never been any bribery or corruption allegation against me. There has also been no such investigation or disciplinary action. Here are my colleagues who worked with me. For example, Fatih Yağcı; he was the purchasing chief during my tenure as a manager. Murat has also worked with me for about 15 years. They can also be asked; it will be revealed whether there is any allegation against me," he said.

"ELITE CARD" ALLEGATION

Responding to the "Elite card" allegations, Polat stated that he requested this card, which provides some conveniences such as priority passage and lounge use at the airport, for himself, saying, "I had asked a contractor who flies a lot. Mr. Tamer happened to be there and said, 'I can let you use it.' Other people were using it too. This incident occurred in 2024. But it was portrayed on television and in the news as if a huge benefit had been gained, as if an unlimited credit card had been given to my wife," he said.

Rejecting other allegations against him, Ümit Polat made the following statements:

"There is also an allegation like this, 'These requests were not limited to just asking; it was said that if they were not met, he would not be able to get work from Ağaç AŞ and payments would be delayed.' Now think about it, you will be so close to the general manager, and you will participate in foreign trips with high-level officials affiliated with the Presidency, but it will be claimed that pressure was exerted on me. In his statement, he says: 'After Ali Sukas learned about this situation, he removed Ümit Polat from duty in December.' But the same person later calls me and expresses that he wants me to talk to Ali Sukas and ensure that he stays in office. On one hand, he says, 'I have no connection,' on the other hand, he is trying to stay in office through me. The main issue is this: when I went to the prosecutor's office with my first file, I mentioned a tulip bulb purchase file in my statement. The total amount of the file presented to me was 148 million TL. Tamer Gümüş personally brought this file. The file had calculations made column by column: unit price in the Netherlands, broker commission, freight, packaging, and other expenses were written. In the end, an amount of approximately 148 million TL emerged. I also presented this file to the public prosecutor. I said that it was not possible to make a purchase at this price. That day, the euro exchange rate was around 36 TL. I have been the person who has been purchasing tulips in Istanbul since 2005, 2006. I also know the market in the Netherlands. When I researched, I saw that the price of a thousand tulips the previous year was around 60-80 euros. That year, due to floods and water disasters in the Netherlands, prices had increased and reached 150-160 euros. However, in the list brought by Tamer Gümüş, the unit price was shown as 310 euros. When the broker commission, freight, and other items were added, the total figure became very large, and an amount of 148 million TL emerged. However, when we calculated based on the real market price, it was possible to buy the same products for about 65-70 million TL. Therefore, I clearly stated that I would not carry out such a transaction. I expressed that it was not possible to make a purchase at this price and that the price must definitely decrease."

COURT PRESIDENT: WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP DID YOU HAVE TO GIVE SUCH A GIFT?

The court president stated that correspondence had been made with the prosecutor's office regarding the card issue related to Turkish Airlines, saying, "There is a response from Turkish Airlines to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The response states: 'On April 13, 2023, another member with Elite Plus status, number 304-1746-18, has given a gift card using the Elite Gift card right.' Who gave this card to your spouse? What kind of relationship did you have to give such a gift?" he asked.

Ümit Polat replied, "Tamer Gümüş mentions this in his own narrative. But if you pay attention, the date this card was given is in 2023. The events we are actually talking about started after the 2024 election process. The gift card we are talking about is not something given for money. If you have an Elite card, you can give gifts to up to three people for free. This is a right granted by the system."If the person you mentioned stops collecting miles, this right will disappear in a few months anyway. My spouse also collected miles for a while and used the card. However, it is being described as if my spouse has been given an unlimited credit card. In fact, there is no such situation. The gift card is something that is given completely free of charge and is the right of the cardholder," he said.

UMIT POLAT: GOKHAN ZEYBEK CAME TO VISIT ME

When the presiding judge asked the defendant Polat about the reason for his dismissal, he replied, "I went to give a statement to the prosecutor. I gave the statement. I was dismissed after giving the statement. I gave the statement on May 28. Our dismissal date is June 6."

In response to another question, Umit Polat said, "While I was in prison, lawyers came and went. They said a deputy would come one day. We sat and chatted. He explained that this is a political process. The CHP member who came to visit me was Gokhan Zeybek."

PROSECUTOR REQUESTED IMAMOGLU TO BE REMOVED FROM THE COURTROOM

While the prosecutor was asking Umit Polat about the table showing the budget movements of Ağaç A. Ş in the indictment, Ekrem İmamoğlu objected, saying, "I am against the prosecution's presentation of a false table. The prosecution is a slander institution that speaks lies, lies. Your Honor, please do not allow lies."

The prosecutor requested that İmamoğlu be removed from the courtroom for insulting him, based on Article 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The presiding judge did not evaluate the request.

İmamoğlu wanted to speak regarding Ağaç A. Ş. The presiding judge stated that he could not give İmamoğlu the right to respond to the allegations one by one, but would give him the right to speak collectively at the end. This time, the presiding judge addressed him as "Mr. İmamoğlu" instead of "the defendant."

Polat then did not answer the lawyer's questions regarding the table. Upon this, his lawyer took the floor and said, "I want the question to be asked in the form of whether trees were bought unnecessarily when there was no need. Because my client did not understand the table." The lawyer's request was not accepted.

The lawyer of Ağaç A. Ş. General Manager Ali Sukas asked Polat, "Did you see anything indicating that Ali Sukas received money?" Ümit Polat replied, "I did not see it directly as money. I saw people coming with bags and empty ones coming out."

When the presiding judge asked, "Are you saying that the bag was full of money?" Polat said, "I can't know if it was full of money; I saw it from a distance."

The hearing was adjourned until 14:00.

Meanwhile, Istanbul Governor Davut Gül made a statement on his social media account during the hearing, saying, "I have no close or distant relatives working in İBB or İBB subsidiaries."