AKP's Melih Gökçek loses 'official residence lawsuit', first statement arrives: He will vacate his home

Former AKP Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Melih Gökçek prepared the tender for the sale of properties he was using as municipal residences in Dikmen in 2017, while he was still serving as the ABB Mayor.

Although the law explicitly states that mayors and their relatives cannot participate in tenders within three years after leaving office, the tender was won by a business partnership consisting of Gökçek's wife, Nevin Gökçek, and his lawyers, Fatih Atalay and Salih Çelen.

Gökçek continued to reside in the duplex property, which he was required to vacate within two months of leaving office. The sale was carried out while Gökçek was still living in the residences.

LAWSUIT FROM MANSUR YAVAŞ

ABB Mayor Mansur Yavaş filed a lawsuit against Gökçek's purchase of the residences in Dikmen—which were municipal property—on behalf of his wife, Nevin Gökçek, and his lawyers, Fatih Atalay and Salih Çelen, in violation of the law.

The Ankara Regional Court of Justice ruled that the purchase process was irregular and ordered the registration of the properties, which Gökçek still uses as a residence and office, in the name of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality.

Gökçek announced today that he has lost the "official residence lawsuit." Announcing that the Court of Cassation ruled that "his own signature is on the sale document" regarding the luxury residence he stated he bought from the municipality, Gökçek reported that he would vacate the house.

STATEMENT FROM GÖKÇEK AFTER THE COURT'S DECISION

Gökçek's statement is as follows:

"Law No. 7061 granted those residing in public and municipal housing the right to purchase the residences they were living in. At that time, I also utilized this provision and requested the purchase of the residence I was living in from the municipality. And my wife purchased the house I am currently living in...

Today, the Court of Cassation process regarding this house I purchased during the Mustafa Tuna era has been completed, and I have lost the case. The reason cited was that my signature was also on the document sent to the municipal council regarding the sale in 2017.

However, the sale decision was made by the Mayor at the time, Mustafa Tuna. I had purchased the relevant real estate at approximately 10 percent above the market value of that day, entirely within the legal framework.

Now, the municipality will refund this sale price to me, and I will move out of the house I live in.

The decision is undoubtedly against me. Despite this, I maintain my faith in our justice system and my respect for the decision rendered.

If there is law in this country, it is the responsibility of all of us to comply with decisions even if we do not like them.

Where I stand is clear: Always the law, always justice.

We expect the same respect from other political parties that have difficulty accepting judicial decisions when they are not in their favor.

Furthermore, this process has once again revealed how baseless and misleading to the public the constantly repeated claims that 'Melih Gökçek is not being tried' are.

Distorting the facts by using the functioning of the law as political material serves neither justice nor the nation."