Additional testimony of imprisoned Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı emerges! Details on İmamoğlu and DEM Party...

CHP's Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı has been in custody since July 14, 2025, due to a corruption investigation conducted into the municipality.

Kabadayı provided additional testimony as part of the investigation on January 7, 2026.

HE TOLD IMAMOĞLU, 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND MUNICIPAL WORK AT ALL, HOW WILL WE DO IT IF WE WIN'

According to the report by Can Öztürk from T24, the full text of Kabadayı's additional testimony to the prosecutor's office is as follows:

"It is true that I previously gave statements to law enforcement units and the Prosecutor's Office. I repeat them exactly. I want to explain what I know in your presence, accompanied by my defense counsel. I was not able to testify comfortably before. That is why I wanted to testify again by submitting a petition through my lawyer.

Before the 2024 municipal elections, in 2019, they made me a candidate for municipal council member from the CHP because I was someone known in Şile and I am from Şile. My political journey in the CHP began with this process. Later, we could not elect any municipal council members in the election. In 2023, there was a district presidency election. They wanted to see me as the district president. I said that I did not understand politics very well and therefore would not be a candidate. The current Mayor Aras Aslan was elected. I also took part in his administration. I served as the district secretary. Later, in the 2024 municipal elections, the IMM and CHP conducted a survey. Even though I was not a candidate, when my name came up, they wanted to make me the mayoral candidate. I was honored and accepted this offer, and my candidacy process began. On January 1 or 2, 2024, a meeting was held in Beşiktaş at a hotel whose name I do not remember, located on the same row as the ATV building, attended by IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, CHP executive Özgür Karabat, and CHP provincial president Özgür Çelik. Here, it was communicated to me that my candidacy was finalized. I attended this meeting with our district president Aras. I even told Ekrem İmamoğlu there, 'I don't understand municipal work at all, how will we do it if we win?' He replied to this, 'You win, we will handle it somehow.' My candidacy journey started after this. During the candidacy process, it was communicated to me that Oğuz Kaçmaz, who worked in the headmanship department at the IMM, was assigned to assist me in the election campaign. Aras conveyed this issue to me and said it was a request from the provincial presidency and the IMM. I accepted this because Oğuz had a party background and worked in the headmanship department, and I took him with me during the election campaign. While the election campaign was being conducted, no one sent any financial support, but when it started to become clear in the last 10 days that we would win, no one, including myself, expected us to win. For this reason, market cards purchased from A101, BİM, Migros, and ŞOK started to pour in from the party or the IMM through the district president Aras via the IMM channel. I know that the IMM sent these cards to the district organization. If they sent money, I have no information about it; Aras has information. I spent from my own pocket for the election campaign until the last 10 days."

"IMAMOĞLU TOLD ME, 'WE MADE A DEAL WITH DEM, IT WILL BE NECESSARY'"

A list of 15 people was made. The provincial and district organizations arranged this list. In fact, I did not have much intervention in the election of municipal council members for the 2nd rank under the name of urban reconciliation because I did not know anyone. Özgür Çelik and Şişli Mayor Emrah Şahan told me at the meeting held at the headquarters in Ankara that it should be left blank. All mayoral candidates had come to this meeting. At the same time, it was being discussed that decisions would be made regarding municipal council members. The party would approve the list of municipal council members, and a strategy was being determined regarding this. Here, I was told that the 2nd rank in Şile should be left blank in accordance with the agreement made with the DEM party, but I said that this situation could not be explained in Şile, that I absolutely did not accept this, and that I could withdraw from candidacy if there was pressure. Emrah Şahan replied that it was not that big of a deal, but I told him that it was indeed a big deal, that I could not explain this, and that we could not explain this situation in Şile. The candidate they determined as the 2nd rank was already a DEM party member. I did not write this person on the list. Later, they said that the 5th rank, not the 2nd rank, should be left blank. I and district president Aras were authorized to submit the lists to the election board. After returning to Istanbul, I told IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on the day of the Şile rally that we could not explain a DEM-affiliated candidate becoming a municipal council member in Şile. He told me, 'We made a deal with DEM, it will be necessary.' Contrary to what was said, I wrote my own candidate in the 5th rank and submitted the list to the district election board. I also turned off my phone. When I turned on my phone, Özgür Çelik called me and asked for an account of this. I told him that Şile would not tolerate this and that I took full responsibility."

"I DISMISSED THOSE WHO PERFORMED THIS TRANSACTION, AND I ALSO CANCELED THE LICENSE TRANSACTION"

After being elected mayor, I did not terminate the employment of anyone remaining from the previous administration. Everyone left of their own volition. I tried to work in harmony with those who did not leave. There was always a zoning problem in Şile. This problem continued after I became mayor. I gave some instructions to solve this, but since I did not understand municipal work and did not know the employees in the municipality, it took me some time to identify what the problem was. During this process, Yasin Çakır, who remained from the previous administration, was the deputy mayor in charge of zoning and settlement; I dismissed him from this position due to the problems he experienced within the municipality. I appointed Ali Sinan Özer in his place. At the same time, I assigned Vural Durmuş to zoning as an advisor to the deputy mayor. Since Ali Sinan and Vural said they had worked in the municipality before, knew the subject, and could solve the problem, I gave them the task, but when the Gönen Hotel incident broke out in the IMM assembly, I dismissed everyone. After I was elected mayor, the owner of Gönen Hotel came to my office through district president Aras. I met him there. He said that his hotel had been sealed by the previous administration and that he wanted to resolve the issue. I told him to go to the zoning unit and discuss the issue with them to resolve it. Subsequently, it turned out that a license was obtained irregularly. I dismissed those who performed this transaction. I also canceled the license transaction. During this process, I started to get to know the municipality a little bit. When these troubles occurred, people were needed for the zoning part of the municipality and the technical deputy mayor part. Since the Gönen Hotel incident came to the agenda in the IMM assembly, Ekrem İmamoğlu called me to his office in Haliç. He asked about the issue. I explained to him that it was an irregular license transaction. Upon this, he told me to go to Tonguç Çoban, that Tonguç Çoban would give some names, to hire them to the municipality with him, and to dismiss those who performed this irregular license transaction. I met with Tonguç Çoban after leaving Ekrem's side. He told me on the phone to come to AKOM. When I went to AKOM, he said that Tuncay Tolga Özakman should be assigned as deputy mayor, that Tuncay would form the lower team, that Tuncay had a mayoral candidacy process in Beykoz, that he was a party member, and that they knew these names and they also knew the job. Since I was already looking for someone authorized and knowledgeable here, I accepted. Here, he provided the contact between Tuncay and me.

Later, we met with Tuncay Tolga Özçakmak. He told me about the adventure he had experienced. He said he had a municipal background, knew the job, and that I would do very beautiful projects. I was really excited and started the job by assigning these individuals to the municipality. After this team started working, they asked for 3 months of leave from me. They said they would solve all the problems. Our meeting probably took place 1-2 weeks before Tuncay and his team started working. I had dismissed them because of the Hotel issue. While I thought things would be put on track with the new team, there were rumors about zoning in Şile. For this reason, the Gönen rumors about the previous deputy mayor Ali Sinan also increased significantly. When I called the interlocutors in the municipality and asked, no one came and explained a clear issue regarding bribery to me. Before I was taken into custody, they were saying that it did not exist, that what was spoken was gossip, and that they had resolved the process legally. Because the rumors increased significantly and the instructions I gave were not carried out, I was going to dismiss this team, but I was taken into custody.

"I TOLD ÖZGÜR ÇELİK, 'WHY WOULD THEY TAKE ME INTO CUSTODY,' AND HUNG UP THE PHONE, BUT I WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY"

Because the rumors increased significantly with this team, I told Tonguç Çoban that there was a problem with these people, that there was a lot of gossip, and that I would dismiss them. I had this conversation with Tonguç Çoban one-on-one after having a meeting at the IMM for the 36th International Şile Cloth Festival. He implied that Ekrem İmamoğlu had entered the picture and that the IMM team wanted to be sent from Şile, saying that they would not welcome it. I told him that the rumors had increased very intensely and that the tasks I had given were not being carried out by this team, and that I would dismiss them. After this meeting, we decided who would replace them. I told Berna Aves and İbrahim Atasayan that I would dismiss this team and that I would assign someone solid and decent from within the municipality in their place. We decided to assign Fehim and his team from the municipality, but because I was taken into custody, I could not dismiss this team. On the day I was taken into custody, there was Özgür Özel's rally in Sancaktepe. While going to the rally area, Tuncay called me on the way. I remember he called me on FaceTime. Since the environment was very crowded, I did not answer the phone, but we messaged. He told me that Ali Şafak was taken into custody in Ömerli. I asked him what it was for. He said it might have been taken for legal business. After the rally, I returned to my residence. Around 01:00, Özgür Çelik called me. He said that Tuncay Tolga, Asli Kotan, Evren Buçan, and Oğuz Kaçmaz were taken into custody and that I would probably be taken as well. The next day, there was a meeting of mayors at the headquarters. I was going to go to Ankara. I told Özgür Çelik, 'Why would they take me into custody,' and hung up the phone, but I was taken into custody. When we were taken to Vatan Police Headquarters, when I asked Ali Şafak, 'What are you doing in Ömerli, how, for what reason were you taken into custody,' he said, 'Mayor, I was caught with documents.' When I asked what the document was, he said he was caught with money. I shouted at him and said, 'You did a good job.' I had a complaint, saying, 'What business do I have with you, why did you get into such a business?' While at the police station, Oğuz said to me, 'Mayor, something remained on my phone. There was a list where I wrote the rumors about us regarding Şile, this list remained on my phone.' I said, 'If you wrote the rumors, there is no problem anyway.'

"I DID NOT TAKE A BRIBE FROM ANYONE"

After we were arrested, Oğuz's family reached out to my family and wanted Oğuz's brother to be hired at the municipality and for the military service exemption money to be paid by my family. This issue came to me. I said that there would absolutely be no such thing. I think he gave such a statement about me when he received a rejection from here. I do not accept the statements. I did not take a bribe from anyone. I dismissed Oğuz on April 15. The photo seized on his phone was taken on May 26. I think he used this against me because he held a grudge against me.

"I DID NOT RECEIVE MONEY IN ANY WAY"

The Kakşals made an appointment through Furkan Yapıcı and came to me. Here, they explained the problem regarding their own place. I called Evren and asked him to explain the problem and why the fine was imposed. Also, since I heard that there was a money exchange regarding Oğuz, I asked the Kakşals about this issue. They told me, 'They solved the problem with Oğuz, there is no problem.' There was no statement from them that they gave money to Oğuz or did not give money. They discussed technical issues with Evren. The meeting ended without a result. As I heard after I entered prison, I heard that Oğuz took 3,000,000 TL from them in exchange for handling their business, and when the business was not handled, he returned 1,500,000 TL and gave a promissory note for 1,500,000 TL. I absolutely do not accept the statements. I did not receive money in any way. Similarly, I did not have any money exchange with Hamit Kanmaz, the owner of Sile Beton. I did not enter into such a relationship. When I heard that Hamit Kanmaz gave money to the municipality, when I asked, they said he had a debt to the municipality.

"WHEN I ASKED OĞUZ ABOUT THIS ISSUE, HE SAID HE ABSOLUTELY DID NOT RECEIVE A PHONE"

I learned from the owner Berkant Acil that Oğuz wanted 5 phones, through the company that did the concert after the 35th International Şile Cloth Culture and Art Festival was held, where Mutlu Ulusoy, who worked at the Koşan Adam company, worked. Mutlu Ulusoy called me and said that both the concert money was not deposited and that phones were being requested from the company. Upon this, I called Berkant Acil to my office, he came with his accountant, two ladies. My deputy mayor Berna Avcı was also with me. Here, Berkant Acil told me, 'Oğuz wanted 5 phones from them, and the payments were not made.' I asked him how Oğuz wanted this phone. Upon this, he said, 'We thought you knew.' I told him that I did not know, that they should take the phones back, and that we would make the payments according to the financial situation of the municipality. When I asked Oğuz about this issue, he said he absolutely did not receive a phone. I heard that 5 expensive phones, probably Iphone brand, were purchased by Berkant Acil and given to Oğuz.

"I DID NOT TAKE MONEY FROM ANYONE, AND I DID NOT GIVE MONEY TO ANYONE"

I did not take money from anyone, and I did not give money to anyone. Oğuz is slandering me. Oğuz collected money from people in this way by using my name, and when the business was not handled and the process proceeded in this way, he is trying to clear himself by blaming me. I did not take a bribe from anyone. I did not use Oğuz as an intermediary for bribery either."