Third day of the 'Aziz İhsan Aktaş Criminal Organization' trial: Presiding Judge uses the same analogy as Akın Gürlek

The first hearing of the "Aziz İhsan Aktaş Criminal Organization" trial, in which a total of 200 defendants—including 7 CHP mayors, 5 of whom are in custody—are being tried, continues into its third day.

In the proceedings that began on January 27 at the Marmara Prison No. 1 courtroom in Silivri, the defenses of the detained defendants linked to Beltaş A.Ş. and the Avcılar and Esenyurt municipalities will be heard today.

Among those presenting their defense are BELTAŞ detainee Önder Gedik and the detained Mayor of Avcılar, Utku Caner Çaykara.

The hearing is being followed by CHP Deputy Chairman Gül Çiftci, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, CHP MP Mahmut Tanal, and several party members, in addition to the defendants' relatives.

As the detained defendants were brought into the courtroom, the audience greeted the mayors on trial by waving silently, following previous warnings.

PRESIDING JUDGE: WE ARE EXAMINING THIS FILE WITH THE PRECISION OF A JEWELER

Before moving on to the defenses, the Presiding Judge made an assessment regarding the "audience ban" controversy that occurred yesterday. Emphasizing that they aim to conduct the trial in a healthy manner, the Judge stated, "For us, this file is no different from other files. We are examining this file with the precision of a jeweler." Lawyers, meanwhile, reacted to the late start of the hearing.

AKIN GÜRLEK HAD ALSO SAID 'PRECISION OF A JEWELER'

The Presiding Judge's "precision of a jeweler" analogy had also been used by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. At the opening of the judicial year, Gürlek had told members of the press regarding the İBB indictment, "We are examining it with the precision of a jeweler."

In yesterday's session, the defenses of 6 detained defendants were heard. On the third day, the defense of Önder Gedik, the head of Beşiktaş Municipality's Beltaş Management who was arrested on January 17, 2025, and is being tried on charges of "forgery of official documents" and "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," began.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST 2 DAYS

On the first day of the trial, the identities of the defendants were verified. Various requests by the mayors and their lawyers were rejected by the court.

On the second day, the defense phase began, and 6 people, including three mayors, gave their statements.

At the end of the session, there was uncertainty regarding the admission of spectators. The Presiding Judge announced that no audience would be accepted for today's session on the grounds that numerous images from the courtroom had appeared on social media. CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and CHP MP Ali Gökçek approached the court panel and stated that they would take all necessary precautions to ensure no images were leaked from the courtroom.

The Presiding Judge emphasized that if any photos or videos appear in the press during today's hearing, the decision not to accept spectators will be strictly enforced.

He also stated that if the recordings are shared again, a criminal complaint will be filed on the same day.

Following the conclusion of yesterday's hearing, the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that an investigation had been launched into the sharing of the images.

REQUESTED SENTENCES

In the 578-page indictment, the detained Mayor of Beşiktaş, Rıza Akpolat, faces a prison sentence ranging from 133 to 337 years on charges of "membership in a criminal organization," "rigging a tender," "forgery of official documents," "forgery of private documents," "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "taking bribes," "laundering assets derived from crime," and "unjust enrichment."

The detained Mayor of Avcılar, Utku Caner Çaykara, faces 5 to 15 years in prison on charges of "rigging a tender" and "taking bribes," while the released Mayor of Esenyurt, Ahmet Özer, faces 3 to 9 years in prison on charges of "rigging a tender" and "forgery of private documents."

The detained Mayor of Seyhan, Oya Tekin, Mayor of Ceyhan, Kadir Aydar, Mayor of Adana Metropolitan Municipality, Zeydan Karalar, and the released and reinstated Mayor of Adıyaman, Abdurrahman Tutdere, each face 4 to 12 years in prison on charges of "taking bribes."

While 5 mayors facing various charges in the indictment are being held in prison, Aziz İhsan Aktaş, who is alleged to be the "leader of the criminal organization" and faces up to 450 years in prison, is being tried without detention.

News Source: 12punto