Did the document that reached Cevheri Güven leak from UYAP?

The trial continued for police officer Serkan Dinçer, who served at the Ankara Narcotics Branch and is accused of leaking information and documents to fugitive Cevheri Güven, who is involved in the media structure of “FETÖ,” as well as three police chiefs who conducted the Bora Kaplan operation.

Former Ankara Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime (KOM) Branch Manager Kerem Gökay Öner stated that when they examined the barcode on Bora Kaplan's statement published by Cevheri Güven, they realized it had been obtained via UYAP, meaning it had originated from judicial authorities, but they did not report this to avoid damaging their relationship with the courthouse. Detained police officer Serkan Dinçer once again emphasized that he has been a member of the Okuyucular branch of the Nurcu movement, also known as Meşveret, since he was 13 years old. Upon this, a lawyer pointed to the sign behind the court bench that reads, “Justice is the foundation of the state,” and said, “Expressions like ‘I am not a FETÖ member, I am a Nurcu’ are being used here. This saddens us as lawyers.”

In the case heard at the Ankara 17th High Criminal Court, the sole detained defendant, Serkan Dinçer, is charged with “membership in an armed terrorist organization,” while former Ankara Deputy Police Chief Murat Çelik, who led the Bora Kaplan operation, as well as former KOM Branch Manager Kerem Gökay Öner and Deputy Branch Manager Şevket Demircan, are charged with “committing crimes on behalf of an organization without being a member, violating confidentiality, and misconduct in office.”

CHIEF AND POLICE OFFICER ACCUSE EACH OTHER OF BEING 'FETÖ' MEMBERS

In today's session, attended by defendants Serkan Dinçer and Kerem Gökay Öner and their lawyers, a retired police chief and two lawyers were heard as witnesses.

Retired Police Chief K.A. stated that he knew defendant Murat Çelik because they were in the same graduating class and Serkan Dinçer because they worked together at the General Directorate of Security Intelligence Presidency, and made the following allegations regarding Dinçer:

“He came from Trabzon by appointment in 2014 and was assigned to Cyber Crimes. When he did not report for duty on the night of the July 15 coup attempt, a conflict arose between him and his supervisors at the branch. When he failed to show up for duty again on a weekend, an investigation was launched against him. After he had a physical altercation with the duty officer, a report was filed against him and he was removed from the branch. After he went to Diyarbakır, he sent about 200 whistleblower emails to some state officials about me and all my teammates. Since the matter came from above, an investigation was opened against us, but I did not receive any punishment. After the allegations proved baseless, we investigated the owner of the email and determined it was Serdar Dinçer. Cevheri Güven published all of his unimaginable slanders.”

Following these statements by K.A., Serkan Dinçer asked, “Where was he on July 15?” Upon K.A.’s reply, “I was at the Intelligence Department Presidency,” Dinçer alleged that K.A. had gone to the Ortaköy district of Aksaray that night with his wife, children, and bodyguard in his official car, and that his bodyguard was later dismissed for links to “FETÖ/PDY.” Dinçer added, “He calls me a FETÖ member, and I say he is a FETÖ member.”

Denying Dinçer's claims that he had provided information about “FETÖ” members in Intelligence but that no action was taken against any of them, K.A. said, “Everyone who came to the department on the night of July 15 wrote a hero story with things they made up in their heads.”

After K.A., lawyers Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sinan Kocaoğlu and Birdal Barut Kocaoğlu, who attended Bora Kaplan's police interrogation, were heard as witnesses.

The Kocaoğlu couple responded to questions from the Court President and lawyers regarding who attended Kaplan's statement, how the signing process took place, whether the statement was photographed, and whether it was taken to Deputy Police Chief Murat Çelik in a file, by saying they did not remember all the details as two years had passed. While Atty. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kocaoğlu stated that he only remembered signing the statement report last, he explained, “Because I was going to add a reservation since no breaks were given for food, water, or the toilet during the 8-hour interrogation. However, when Bora Kaplan said, ‘Don’t write it, brother, they will treat us badly later,’ I did not write it.”

After the witness statements, the Prosecutor, when asked for his opinion, requested that Serkan Dinçer's detention continue.

Defendant Serkan Dinçer also made statements regarding the investigation report containing his phone calls and money transfers and said the following:

“Between 2016 and 2023, there has been no open or secret investigation against me. I served as a bodyguard and companion at the Bilkent Gazi Rehabilitation Center for Turgut Aslan, the then-Head of the Counter-Terrorism Department who was shot in the head on the night of July 15 and is still the Chief Advisor to the President. K.A. was harassing me by mobbing me during that period. When I reported the FETÖ members in the department to K.A. after July 15, he said, ‘I will label you as FETÖ,’ and threatened me with my daughter. Turgut Aslan’s statement to me was: ‘I will handle that fraud’s business, don’t worry, brother.’ Later, K.A. was removed from the Intelligence Department Presidency. In 2017, I filed a lawsuit against this person in the Civil Court of First Instance and wrote an information note to Ankara Police Chief Engin Dinç to complain. Four days after this complaint, K.A. filed a criminal complaint against me. This person is someone who was dismissed from civil service with the approval of Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya because he victimized many people through crypto. I was detained on November 3, 2023, while on duty. Murat Çelik, the Ankara Deputy Police Chief responsible for the Counter-Terrorism Branch, has a friendship with K.A. I was subjected to torture for 4 days in the D office. I have been a member of the Okuyucular branch of the Nurcu movement, also known as Meşveret, since I was 13. This group has been completely against FETÖ since 1980 and has official foundations all over Turkey. While I was being tortured, they took out a list of my friends from the Isparta Education and Culture Foundation in the past and threatened me by squeezing my throat to make me say they were FETÖ members. The other two beat me, saying, ‘What do you want from our chief K.A.?’”

HOW DID THE HRANT DINK FOOTAGE GET TO SABAH?

Regarding the expert report he prepared on the Hrant Dink murder, Serkan Dinçer accused K.A. as follows:

“In 2016, A.Ö. from Sabah Newspaper made a post about K.A.’s assets. Later, this report and the footage we prepared were published in Sabah. When I asked my friends, ‘How could you do this?’, they said they gave it on K.A.’s orders. After this footage, Engin Dinç was removed from his post. The journalist who tweeted against K.A. deleted them on the night the footage was published. Odatv also published this.”

Explaining that an investigation was opened for his dismissal from the Police Department after his arrest, that Murat Çelik also participated in the Provincial Disciplinary Board and requested his dismissal even though he was being tried in the same case, but that the High Disciplinary Board rejected the dismissal request, Serkan Dinçer stated that he had been detained for 18 months, had a heart attack in prison, and needed emergency surgery, and requested his release.

FLASH ALLEGATION FROM KOM MANAGER

Non-detained defendant and former Ankara KOM Branch Manager Kerem Gökay Öner voiced the following remarkable allegation regarding Bora Kaplan's statement published by Cevheri Güven:

“Upon this, we requested a comprehensive report from the Cyber Crimes and Intelligence Branch. The report arrived. After seeing the barcode on the statement, we realized it was obtained via UYAP, meaning it came out of judicial authorities. However, we did not report it so that our relationship with the courthouse would not be spoiled. I am someone who has dedicated my life to fighting against the FETÖ/PDY armed terrorist organization and drug organizations. I also have a feud with Cevheri Güven.”

Öner’s lawyer also said that his client was made a defendant even though he had nothing to do with the Bora Kaplan statement, and in this case, everyone who received and saw that statement should be included in this file and the digital devices of Bora Kaplan’s lawyers should be examined.

Murat Çelik’s lawyer stated that Serkan Dinçer’s claim that his client was on the Provincial Disciplinary Board was not true, and after requesting a copy of the decision, he pointed to the “Justice is the foundation of the state” sign behind the court bench and said, “But expressions like ‘I am not a FETÖ member, I am a Nurcu’ are being used here. This saddens us as lawyers.”

The lawyer for defendant Şevket Demircan also explained that the Bora Kaplan organization is very powerful and has political and judicial powers behind it, which is why those who conducted the operation have faced so much trouble, and requested that the files of these people who are still on duty be separated and that they be acquitted.

After the statements were completed, the Court President announced that it had been decided to continue Serkan Dinçer’s detention and to issue a warrant for the two witnesses to be brought by force, and adjourned the hearing to May 15.

Müyesser YILDIZ

April 17, 2025