11.05.2026 12:19
The allegations in the 8-page supplementary statement of Gökhan Böcek, the son of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Muhittin Böcek, caused a huge uproar. While Böcek claimed that Veli Ağbaba demanded 1 million euros from him for Muhittin Böcek's candidacy process, he alleged that he took the money to Ankara in a backpack and handed it over to a person at the CHP headquarters. Veli Ağbaba had previously stated that he did not know Gökhan Böcek.
The additional 8-page statement given by Gökhan Böcek, son of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Muhittin Böcek, caused a major uproar. In his statement, Böcek alleged that money was demanded from the CHP Headquarters under the guise of the "candidacy process" and made striking claims about Veli Ağbaba.
ALLEGATION OF "1 MILLION EURO DEMAND"
Gökhan Böcek claimed in his statement that Veli Ağbaba called him and said that 1 million euros were demanded in connection with the process of renominating his father Muhittin Böcek. Böcek alleged that after this conversation, he collected the necessary money and took it to Ankara.
"I DELIVERED THE MONEY IN A BACKPACK"
In his statement, Gökhan Böcek also included striking details, describing how he put the collected money in a black backpack and took it to Ankara. Böcek claimed that he delivered it to an unknown person at the CHP Headquarters and that he had a phone conversation with Veli Ağbaba during the delivery.
"MY FATHER HAD TOLD ME BEFORE"
Gökhan Böcek also argued that his father Muhittin Böcek had previously informed him that the CHP Headquarters might request financial support during the election process. In his statement, Böcek claimed that he had meetings with Veli Ağbaba regarding the purchase of buses and financial support during the election period, alleging that he was told, "We are making you a candidate for the metropolitan municipality anyway, are we also supposed to help you?"
WHAT DID VELI AĞBABA SAY?
CHP Malatya Deputy Veli Ağbaba had previously stated in a statement that he did not know Gökhan Böcek. Ağbaba said about the younger Böcek, "I wouldn't recognize him if I saw him, I don't know him, I have no communication or acquaintance with him."
Here is the relevant part of the statement:
I wish to give my additional statement before you, accompanied by my lawyer. First of all, I want to provide more detailed explanations about the matters in my previous statement dated 02/05/2026. In the time that has passed, I have decided to submit a petition because I have partially recalled some details related to the subject I described in my statement dated 02/05/2026 more clearly. There may be matters in this statement that differ from my previous one, but I request that the issue be evaluated within the scope of the statement I am giving now.
As I also mentioned in my statement dated 02/05/2026, to reiterate, I want to state this again because I consider it important: In a meeting I had with Veli AĞBABA, he requested assistance for the election, and in return, he stated, "We are already making you the mayoral candidate, are we also going to provide aid?"
In my statement given on 02/05/2026, I said that Veli AĞBABA called me and stated that he was calling on the instructions of Özgür ÖZEL and that 1 million euros were requested for the party regarding my father's candidacy for the Metropolitan Municipality mayorship. In this meeting, I told Veli AĞBABA, "I will call you when I arrange the money." Veli AĞBABA may have called me via FaceTime or WhatsApp, but this conversation was not made through a regular phone line.
Upon this, I communicated this matter to my father Muhittin BÖCEK and told him that Veli AĞBABA called and requested 30 million TL for the party on Özgür ÖZEL's instructions. My father replied to me, "Do what is necessary." However, we did not have a detailed conversation about how the money would be prepared. My father did not say anything to me about this.
From time to time, when I met with my father, we discussed these matters, but we did not have any further conversation regarding the money to be taken to the CHP Headquarters. Before the 2024 local election process, since I was also following the election affairs on behalf of my father, some tradesmen and business people across Antalya province, when contacting me in person or by phone, had already said they would provide the necessary assistance for the election.
Therefore, after my meeting with Veli AĞBABA, I met with many tradesmen and business people who had called me before the election process, but whose names I cannot recall now, and collected money from them in euros or dollars to take to Veli AĞBABA. I cannot remember the names of the tradesmen and business people from whom I took this money due to the long time that has passed.
When the euro-denominated money I collected in this way reached approximately 30 million TL in Turkish Lira equivalent, I called Veli AĞBABA on his phone. I have Veli AĞBABA's mobile phone number. As I said, since we were in the election process, business people who wanted to help the party with election work called me. I went alone or with my driver to the workplaces of the business people and collected the money. The business people generally gave this assistance to me in euros or dollars. However, I told the business people to give it in euros if possible. The reason for this was that I thought the euro currency would take up less space in terms of quantity and be easier to transport.
I prepared to take this money to Ankara and deliver it to Veli AĞBABA. I don't remember how many bundles of money there were. I put approximately 1 million euros, consisting of 100, 200, and 500 euro banknotes, into my black backpack. I bought this backpack randomly from a store. I don't remember the brand, but I am sure its color was black. In fact, I remember buying a cheap backpack because I wasn't going to bring it back.
When I prepared the money, I called Veli AĞBABA via WhatsApp or FaceTime. I don't remember which application it was now, but it was an internet-based application. It was not possible for us to have such conversations over a regular phone line. In my phone conversation with Veli AĞBABA, since he had asked me for 30 million TL, the euro currency I had on hand at that time was worth just over 900 thousand euros according to the exchange rate of the day. The value of the euro currency I had collected and had on hand at that date corresponded to just over 900 thousand euros based on the euro exchange rate of 32.75 TL that day.
When I was about to give a statement on this matter, in the research we conducted through my lawyer, we learned that the euro exchange rate on that day was 32.75 TL, so I tried to express it this way. I told this to Veli AĞBABA. He then said to me, "Complete it to 1 million euros and bring it." This conversation took place on 07/01/2024 or 08/01/2024.
Veli AĞBABA told me that he was calling on the instructions of Özgür ÖZEL and that the 1 million euros was requested in exchange for my father Muhittin BÖCEK being nominated as a candidate, and that if he wanted to be a candidate, he had to pay this money. I relayed this to my father. My father told me to do what was necessary. That is how the conversation between us went.
After this conversation, I placed the money I had collected in the manner described into the black backpack I mentioned at my home, but no one at home saw me do this. I had already collected this money beforehand and was keeping it in a drawer of a table in my home.
I put the money directly into the bag. The euros I placed were in the form of 100, 200, or 500 euro banknotes, but I don't remember how many of each denomination there were. Therefore, I cannot recall the number of stacks formed during the preparation of the money.
There was no other bag or pouch containing the money. If anyone opened the bag, they could directly see the money inside. Apart from this money, there was an iPad of mine in the bag. There was nothing else besides that.