16.10.2026 18:20
At the 7th hearing of the cooperative case against İZBETON, a subsidiary of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the file was transferred to the 24th High Criminal Court due to the dissolution of the panel. Former Mayor Tunç Soyer, who is detained in other cases, requested acquittal, saying, “The reports obtained to date have proven our innocence.” İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, in turn, sought to intervene in the case as an injured party by the offense.
The 7th hearing of the case opened regarding allegations of irregularities in cooperatives in the investigation into İZBETON, a subsidiary of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, was held. Former Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer, who is detained in other investigations, requested acquittal, saying, "We refuted all the allegations one by one. The reports obtained to date have also proven our innocence."
THERE IS NOT A SINGLE CONCRETE PIECE OF EVIDENCE AGAINST ME
Given the floor at the hearing, Soyer requested acquittal and said, "I have continued to give the same statement since my statement on the day I was taken into custody. We refuted all the allegations one by one. The reports obtained to date have also proven our innocence. This case has created a process that destroys trust in law and justice. For 15.5 months, there has been no single concrete piece of evidence against me. Your acquittal verdict will make people say, 'There are judges in İzmir.'"
Heval Savaş Kaya, who said there was no aggravated fraud offense in the file in question, stated, "It is clear that we did not obtain any benefit in this matter. Until now, no one who has been heard has even mentioned our name. There is not a single report against us. A loss of 27 million lira is being mentioned. What they call loss is rent assistance given to poor people. It was not I but the council that decided the rent payments. This cannot be defined as a loss. If there is no loss, how can there be aggravated fraud? Did we do all this work so that 27 million lira could be paid to poor people? We were detained for 6 months for a crime that does not exist, and we are still detained in other files. I demand my immediate acquittal."
Şenol Aslanoğlu, who in his speech mentioned all mayors who served in İzmir up to Soyer, also said, "The late Burhan Özfatura saw the earthquake risk in the plain and built the Evka neighborhoods. Mayor Tunç also added value to this city. May God grant us to remember all mayors with honor. Either accept or reject the İzmir 6th Heavy Penal Court's joinder request, but please make a decision."
THE FILE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE 24TH HEAVY PENAL COURT
In the case opened regarding allegations of irregularities in cooperatives in the investigation into İZBETON, a subsidiary of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the defendants who are not in detention appeared before a judge for the seventh time. Due to the abolition of the second panel of the 23rd Heavy Penal Court, which had been handling the case until now, the file was transferred to the 24th Heavy Penal Court. The hearing held at the Aliağa Penal Institutions Campus was attended by Tunç Soyer, Heval Savaş Kaya, and Şenol Aslanoğlu, who are detained in other investigations, as well as some non-detained defendants and lawyers. It was stated that the 6th Heavy Penal Court sent the indictment prepared against S.S. İş İnsanları Örnekköy Housing Construction Cooperative to the 24th Heavy Penal Court with a request for it to be joined with this file. It was also stated that İzmir Metropolitan Municipality requested intervention in the case as an injured party.
THE INVESTIGATION BEGAN WITH 157 CUSTODY ORDERS
Within the scope of the investigation launched by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on July 1, 2025, into İZBETON AŞ, a subsidiary of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, custody orders were issued for 157 people, including former Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer, CHP İzmir Provincial Chair Şenol Aslanoğlu, and former İZBETON General Manager Heval Savaş Kaya, on charges of "rigging tenders and performance of obligations" and "aggravated fraud." Some of the detained suspects, including Soyer and Aslanoğlu, were arrested, while others were released.
Within the scope of the investigation into İZBETON AŞ, 3 separate indictments were prepared. The indictment prepared by the Prosecutor's Office alleging "corruption in asphalt paving, road and construction maintenance, repair, and renovation works" was accepted by the İzmir 28th Criminal Court of First Instance. Within the scope of this indictment, prison sentences of 3 to 14 years were sought for 44 people.
Again, the indictment prepared by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding "procurement of work machine and vehicle rental services" was accepted by the İzmir 17th Criminal Court of First Instance. Within the scope of this indictment as well, prison sentences of 3 years to 12 years and 3 months were sought for 56 people. In both files, in which there are no detained defendants, the trials of the defendants are ongoing.
An indictment was also prepared seeking prison sentences of 3 to 45 years for 65 people, 11 of whom are detained, including Tunç Soyer, Şenol Aslanoğlu, and Heval Savaş Kaya, on charges of "aggravated fraud by jointly and repeatedly using public institutions and organizations, public professional organizations, political parties, foundations, or associations as instruments," "aggravated fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "aggravated fraud committed by cooperative managers within the scope of the cooperative's activities during the commercial activities of merchants or company managers or persons acting on behalf of a company," and attempt to commit these offenses. This indictment was also accepted by the İzmir 23rd Heavy Penal Court.
In the case where 65 defendants are being tried at the İzmir 23rd Heavy Penal Court, the 11 detained defendants were released from this file.
However, within the scope of the "embezzlement" investigation conducted by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into S.S. İş İnsanları Örnekköy Housing Construction Cooperative and the investigation conducted regarding the obtaining of benefit by using S.S. İş İnsanları Gaziemir Building Cooperative as an instrument within the scope of the İzmir Gaziemir District Urban Transformation and Development Area projects, on charges of "embezzlement, aggravated fraud, forgery of official documents, and neglect of supervisory duty," Tunç Soyer, Heval Savaş Kaya, and Şenol Aslanoğlu are detained. Following the embezzlement operation into S.S. İş İnsanları Örnekköy Housing Construction Cooperative, an indictment was prepared seeking up to 6 years in prison for 8 suspects, including Tunç Soyer and Heval Savaş Kaya, on the charge of "aiding embezzlement," and up to 12 years in prison for 11 suspects, including Şenol Aslanoğlu, on the charge of "embezzlement." The indictment was accepted by the İzmir 6th Heavy Penal Court.