22.03.2025 18:21
As part of the 'terror' investigation targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), the statement process of Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, who was detained, has been completed at the police station. In his statement, Polat stated that he does not have a political identity and responded to a question about 'urban consensus' by saying, "I have neither a political background that could bring these two parties together nor the power to do so."
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The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting investigations against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and 99 suspects for crimes such as "being a leader of a criminal organization," "being a member of a criminal organization," "extortion," "bribery," "qualified fraud," "illegally obtaining personal data," and "interfering with a tender." Additionally, investigations have been initiated against İmamoğlu, IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, and 7 other suspects, including Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, for the crime of "aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization."
MAHİR POLAT'S STATEMENT HAS EMERGED IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, one of the names detained as part of the terrorism investigation, has completed his statement at the Istanbul Anti-Terror Branch. During his statement, when asked, "Do you have any relatives or close ones actively involved in the PKK/KCK terrorist organization?" Polat replied, "No, I do not."
FORMER HDP CO-CHAIR DEPUTY WAS ASKED Polat was asked about former HDP Co-Chair Deputy Azad Barış, "Do you know a person named Azad Barış? Please explain the nature of your commercial and social relationship." Polat stated that he met Azad Barış about 4 years ago in a café environment where their friends were present, and they exchanged ideas because Azad had academic studies on Yazidism and he himself had a doctorate in the history of religions. Polat said, "Other than that, there has been no social meeting. Due to my position, I may be in contact with such individuals and institutions, but I have not contacted this person."
"I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE CONVERSATIONS OF THE ORGANIZATION MEMBERS YOU MENTIONED, NEWS SITES, AND NEWS" During the continuation of Polat's interrogation, he was asked about the statements of various PKK/KCK leaders regarding the "City Consensus." In response to the question, "What does the 'City Consensus' mean to you? When and for what purpose was it established? Please provide a detailed statement on the subject," he replied: "I fully understood the question posed to me. I have no knowledge about the conversations of the organization members you mentioned, news sites, and news. I have no knowledge about the People's United Revolutionary Movement. I had heard of the formation called the People's Democratic Congress through the press. However, I have no knowledge about who gave the instructions regarding their formation, their members, or their activities. I have no knowledge about the structure, activities, or members of the City Consensus mentioned in the question, other than the information and news reflected in the media."
"I HAVE NO POLITICAL BACKGROUND THAT CAN BRING TWO SUCH PARTIES TOGETHER" Regarding the allegations in the secret witness's statement about "the money traffic provided for the DEM Party to support the CHP in the 2024 Local Elections" and "purchases made through the association named DİADER," Polat stated: "I have no knowledge about any money traffic. I absolutely deny the claim that I facilitate connections between parties. I have no political position. I have a background as a bureaucrat. I have worked as a bureaucrat within the IMM framework and I am someone who does not have any duties outside of these roles. I have neither a political background that can bring two such parties together nor such power. In this respect, this statement, which is not compatible with reality, can be easily observed as a product of imagination from someone who lives their life so openly. During this process, my short-term candidacy related to politics is due to my expertise and competence in historical fields, which has led to positive public interest. Running for a place like the Fatih Municipality, which has very little chance of winning, is not a political responsibility for me but a professional sense of responsibility regarding the preservation of a historical area.
"I DO NOT ACCEPT THE CLAIM THAT I HIRED THROUGH THE ASSOCIATION MENTIONED BY THE SECRET WITNESS" Considering all of this, I will not be a person who can manage the political relationships described above, and I am currently continuing my duties without any promotion after returning to bureaucracy from this short-term candidacy. I know that a person named Mehmet Ali Çalışkan works at the Reform Institute, but I have no knowledge about the areas of activity and founders. I learned about the investigation initiated regarding DİAYDER from the press, and that is how I became aware of this association. However, I have no knowledge about its structure. I do not accept the claim that I hired through the association mentioned by the secret witness. All personnel recruitments related to any imams, funeral workers, etc., based on the beliefs mentioned in the question, fall under the jurisdiction of the Cemetery Department of the municipality. However, I have no authority or position in this department. Therefore, I have no knowledge about recruitment matters.
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