06.01.2026 18:20
The trial of 14 defendants, 5 of whom are in custody, has begun in the case of irregularities related to the concert expenses of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. The detained defendant, former Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of ABB, Hacı Ali Bozkurt, stated, "We would ask the accounting department whether there was a budget for the necessary procedures. We carried out all transactions in accordance with the regulations. These transactions were audited by inspectors, and we did not receive any negative feedback."
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a case against 14 individuals, 5 of whom are detained, following the investigation into allegations of public damage in the expenses related to concerts held between 2021 and 2024, determining that the administration incurred a loss of 154 million 453 thousand 221 lira and 60 kuruş in 32 concert service procurements. All defendants were present at the first hearing at the Ankara 34th Heavy Penal Court.
"I HAVE NO INFORMATION REGARDING THE BARGAINING"
Alp Aykut Çıngır, the Deputy Director of the Culture Events Branch at ABB, who is a non-detained defendant, stated that he does not accept the accusations, saying, "I looked after cultural events for 2 months as an acting director. I tried to hand over this duty as quickly as possible. I was involved in the process of the Tan Taşçı concert. The concert was planned to be held on June 12, 2022, at the Ankara Sports Hall. The concert was canceled due to the flood disaster in Ankara. This concert was held 17 days later. I have no information on how the bargaining was done. I have no knowledge regarding the concerts and their planning," he said.
Celal Akbaş, an ABB employee and non-detained defendant, stated, "I am not familiar with the details of how this process reflected on the institution's own economy and how we reached this point. I have not had any direct discussions with the department head or companies regarding these details. I did not commit the crimes attributed to me. I request the removal of my judicial control and my acquittal," he expressed.
"WE CARRIED OUT THE DECISIONS WITH MY FRIENDS"
Hacı Ali Bozkurt, the former Director of the Culture and Social Affairs Department at ABB, stated that he has never undergone an investigation during his civil service, saying, "I do not accept the accusations. The individuals who prepared the expert report that brought me here are people who have no knowledge about the concerts. These friends may have only gone to watch concerts in their lives. Our work is not something that can be questioned by a media expert. Our job is not just about purchasing goods; it involves the establishment, installation, and dismantling of the system. The expert report has no validity. During my 4 years in office, I reviewed the projects and told my teammates, 'let's review together.' The projects were reviewed by me; however, I did not do all the work by myself.
In order to enhance my friends' knowledge and skills, I invited them to meetings. We carried out the decisions together with my friends. I say this for those friends who say, 'I had no knowledge'; there is no such world. The first thing we would do is ask the accounting department if there was a budget for the relevant process. We would obtain approval from the Secretary General's office; otherwise, we would not start any work. We carried out all transactions in accordance with the legislation. These transactions were audited by inspectors, and we did not receive any negative feedback. If we were at fault, we were not warned; there was no feedback. Every event organization company has communicated the events they can handle to us. The project comes to us, we evaluate it; we either do it or we don't. We never told any artist, 'go to this company,' nor will we. We are being prosecuted because we did our job properly. The reason for this is that the experts do not have sufficient information regarding the case," he said.
Kurtuluş Bakır, an ABB employee and non-detained defendant, stated that he does not accept the accusations and requested his acquittal.
"THE EXPERT REPORT IS FAULTY"
Üstün Alpay, the owner of Craft Art Organization Company and a non-detained defendant, stated in his defense that he organized the Derya Bedavacı concert held in Polatlı on September 11, 2024, saying, "My initial offer was not accepted. Hacı Ali Bey said the price was too high and asked me to lower it a bit. I stated the price I could offer. They said that this price was also high. I then gave a price that was roughly similar and said, 'I can only do this much.' Later, I was informed that the job was accepted. I do not accept the accusations. I believe that the expert report prepared regarding the concert we held at that time is faulty," he said.
"IT WAS A LOSS-MAKING ORGANIZATION"
Arda Akman, a representative of Gurudan Tourism Organization Company and a non-detained defendant, stated, "Honestly, I did not think that this job would be given to us during this process. Because we had no previous experience in such organizations. The fact that the job was given to us surprised and pleased me. However, at the end of the job, at the point we have reached today, we see that we made a wrong cost calculation and that we incurred a loss from this job. In other words, it was a job without foresight from start to finish. But it was a loss-making organization. The concert fee is 6 million lira. The total process is evaluated as part of a budget of 116 million lira. Now it is said, 'The same artist performed a concert for a lower price 4 months later.' This claim is being made. However, these two concerts are not the same. The venues are different, the conditions are different, the technical requirements are different. Therefore, they are not organizations that can be compared one-to-one," he said.
Eren Demir, the owner of Yalınayak Food Organization Company and a non-detained defendant, stated that he has no knowledge regarding the concert processes and does not accept the accusations.
Kaan Alp, a partner of Festiva and Enfest Organization and a non-detained defendant, claimed that he was not involved in the concert negotiations, stating, "I have not had any discussions regarding concert purchases. I have a 5% partnership. There is no situation where I have become wealthy during this process. If my accounts are checked, it will be seen that I am already in the negative," he expressed.
The court panel adjourned the hearing to continue tomorrow.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment, it was requested that former ABB Culture and Social Affairs Department Director Hacı Ali Bozkurt, former Acting Director of Culture Events Branch and Deputy Director Haluk Erdemir, former Deputy Director of Culture and Social Affairs Department Hüseyin Zehir, Onur Evren, owner of Evren Technical Group Music Organization Company, Selahattin Çelikkaya, partner of Festiva and Enfest Organization Company, Sıla Evren, owner of Universe Production Company, Kaan Alp, partner of Festiva and Enfest Organization, and Celal Akbaş, an ABB employee, be sentenced to up to 31 years and 6 months in prison for the crime of 'qualified embezzlement in a chain manner.' Arda Akman, owner of Gurudan Tourism Organization Company, Alp Aykut Çıngır, Deputy Director of ABB Culture Events Branch, Kurtuluş Bakır, an ABB employee, Eren Demir, owner of Yalınayak Food Organization Company, Levent Erdoğan, partner of Yalınayak Food Organization Company, and Üstün Alpay, owner of Craft Art Organization Company, were requested to be sentenced to up to 18 years in prison for the crime of 'qualified embezzlement.'