39th hearing in the IMM case: Murat Kapki asks for forgiveness from İnan Güney

The 39th hearing of the IMM case, in which 414 defendants, including CHP's presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, are being tried, is underway. During the hearing, as advertiser Murat Kapki, who stated last week that he gave his statement to the prosecutor's office under pressure, continued his defense, a notable dialogue took place between Ekrem İmamoğlu and Kapki.

12:32 | HEARING ADJOURNED

The court panel adjourned the hearing. It was stated that the session would continue after the break with the defense of Murat Kapki's lawyer.

12:15 | KAPKİ TO İNAN GÜNEY: "PLEASE FORGIVE ME"

Following Ekrem İmamoğlu, his advisor Murat Ongun and Kültür AŞ General Manager Serdal Taşkın also directed questions to Murat Kapki.

Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, who then took the floor, reminded Kapki of the allegations contained in his previous statements.

İnan Güney: "You just answered that your statements claiming I was in the system, that I obtained unfair gains, and that Serkan Öztürk was my treasurer were not true. An indictment was built upon these statements. The prosecutor's office reached the conclusion that I was a secret partner of the 3K company. Do you have any information regarding this?"

Murat Kapki: "Mr. İnan, I don't know you anyway. You appeared all of a sudden. I don't know anything about you."

İnan Güney: "Once again, I was added to the indictment regarding this 3K company based on three billboards. Do you have any knowledge or experience regarding the billboard company?"

Murat Kapki: "No. By the way, please forgive me..."

12:00 | NOTABLE DIALOGUE BETWEEN İMAMOĞLU AND KAPKİ

Following the presiding judge and the prosecutor, Ekrem İmamoğlu took the floor to ask questions to Murat Kapki.

İmamoğlu began his speech by saying, "Unfortunately, we continue to wake up to mornings in our country that sadden our nation and make life difficult. We are distressed, we are hurting. We listened to Mr. Murat Kapki here. After listening to him last week, I had a tone that could be described as a cry of despair. Perhaps it rightfully disturbed you; this is certainly not something I desire either. It was a reaction born from the spiritual entrapment and suffocation caused by this influence."

İmamoğlu then addressed the "safe" allegations mentioned in the indictment, arguing that the connection between some individuals named in the file and himself had not been established.

To the question he posed to Kapki, "Did we ever meet before these operations?" Kapki replied, "You shook my hand just like you did with everyone else at an iftar dinner. We did not introduce ourselves by saying 'I am Murat' or 'I am Ekrem'."

To İmamoğlu's question, "Did we buy tea or coffee? Did we have a meal together?" Kapki said, "No. (Laughing) If you count the iftar dinner, then yes."

To the question, "Did we have any business dealings?" Kapki replied, "No."

Upon this, İmamoğlu turned to the court panel and stated, "There is no organization here. Please keep this in mind."

11:40 | NEW ALLEGATIONS AND REQUEST FOR CRIMINAL COMPLAINT FROM KAPKİ

Murat Kapki provided an additional statement, saying that he had left some issues incomplete in his previous defense.

Kapki alleged that in October 2024, a person named Çetin Ayaz told him that a secret investigation was being conducted against him, and later demanded money to share the details of the investigation.

Stating that he later recounted this process to İsmail Kaan, Kapki used the following expressions:

"He said, 'Yes, there is such a thing,' but he told me, 'Transfer your assets to me, they can't do anything. Nothing will happen to your assets while they are with me. I have all sorts of things on them.'"

Kapki also reacted to the comments made on television programs. Criticizing the allegations regarding the prosecutor's office, he said, "Who could break down the door of the prosecutor's office?"

Speaking about the MASAK reports, Kapki argued that the partnership date for Hüseyin Köksal's company was shown incorrectly.

While stating that he wanted to file a criminal complaint against İsmail Kaan, Kapki also requested that Osman Kaan be heard in court.

11:00 | KAPKİ'S LAWYER: "THE STATEMENTS ARE NOT LEGAL"

As the hearing began, Murat Kapki's lawyer, Fikret Aras, took the floor.

Aras claimed that his client's statements under the scope of effective remorse were taken under pressure and direction, stating, "These statements taken are not legal. They are null and void. Therefore, we request that these statements be treated as if they do not exist in the investigation and trial file."

Kapki also took the floor again, saying there were missing parts in his defense.

The presiding judge asked Kapki about the statements he made last week regarding Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney. Kapki said of those statements, "They were statements given entirely under direction."

Kapki also stated that the words he claimed Murat Ongun said regarding Emrah Bağdatlı were not true.