14.07.2025 09:00
After İBB Participation President Ertan Yıldız, his driver Bayram Yıldırım also became a whistleblower by taking advantage of effective remorse. Yıldırım stated, "A sack of money would arrive at Ertan Yıldız's house every 2-3 days. The money was brought by different people. Even after the operation, the money continued to come. Yıldız had a large safe made for his house in Germany and transported some of the money here by plane."
The Chairman of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Council's Participation/Associated Institutions Commission, Ertan Yıldız, was arrested on the allegation of demanding 5 million euros in "bribes" from one of the owners of a shopping mall in Bakırköy. As part of the corruption investigation targeting municipalities, Ertan Yıldız provided a 6-page statement in the presence of the prosecutor with his lawyer on May 6, to benefit from the provisions of "effective remorse." Known as the "shadow chairman," Yıldız was released under judicial control by benefiting from the provisions of "effective remorse" after giving another statement.
ERTAN YILDIZ'S DRIVER: MONEY WOULD COME IN BAGS EVERY 2-3 DAYS
After Ertan Yıldız, his driver Bayram Yıldırım also stated that he wanted to benefit from the provisions of effective remorse and gave a statement to the prosecutor's office. As part of the investigation, Ertan Yıldız's driver Bayram Yıldırım also became a whistleblower. In his statement, Yıldırım mentioned that bags of money were brought to Ertan Yıldız's house, saying, "Bags of money would come to his house every 2-3 days. The money was brought by different people. After the operation, the money continued to come. Some of the money was taken to Germany, and some to the house in Bodrum. Yıldız had a large safe made in the house in Germany and transported some of the money here by plane. He also had a large safe at his summer house in Bodrum," he said.
"HE WOULD KEEP HIS PHONE WITH HIM AND OPERATE A JAMMER"
Yıldırım, who explained that Fatih Keleş brought money to private meetings, said, "A pick-up truck would pull up to the residence, and the food baskets in the back would be taken inside, then returned empty to the car. Whenever these baskets came, Mustafa Akın would also come and stay for 1-1.5 hours. After Akın left, Fatih Keleş, Murat Ongun, Kadriye Hanım, and the drivers of Mustafa Akın would take the money and leave. Outside of his office in Bakırköy, he would leave his phone in the car when he went to other places. He would keep his phone with him in his office at the municipality building because there was a jammer, and he would operate the jammer," he stated.
"SOME OF THE AID CARDS WERE CONVERTED TO CASH THROUGH EXCHANGE"
Yıldırım explained that some of the aid cards were converted to cash, saying, "After the operation, while we were emptying Ertan Yıldız's office in the Bakırköy auxiliary service building, I found market cards for 2023 in a box. They were worth approximately 15 million TL. They could not be used because they had expired. I think Yıldız forgot these cards in the room. Yıldız had personally distributed these cards until the last 2 years. In the last 2 years, these cards started to go to Fatih Keleş. Murat Keleş was involved with the cards. Some of these aid cards were converted to cash through exchange," he said.
MARKET CARDS SEIZED
Additionally, in an operation coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, teams from the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Investigation Branch seized 4,500 market gift cards.