Birthday surprise for İmamoğlu in Silivri: 'Happy Birthday' banner unfurled in the courtroom

The hearing of the case involving 414 defendants, 68 of whom are in custody, as part of the investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), is continuing in Courtroom No. 1 at the Marmara Closed Penal Execution Institution complex, presided over by the Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court. A celebration was planned before the hearing for İBB Mayor and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is celebrating his birthday today. However, the birthday cake brought to Silivri by party members was not permitted to be taken into the courtroom.

According to information provided by party representatives, instructions regarding the cake were given to the gendarmerie a day in advance. It was noted that CHP İstanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik also held a meeting with the gendarmerie commander regarding the matter.

Among those following the hearing were musician Cahit Berkay, author Sunay Akın, journalist Nebil Özgentürk, and journalist-author Mustafa Balbay.

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15:40 | “I AM A REPRESENTATIVE OF A THIRD-GENERATION TRADING FAMILY”

Businessman Hüseyin Köksal, who began his defense by recounting his life story, stated that he was born in Trabzon in 1978 and is a third-generation representative of a family that has been in trade since 1965. Köksal noted that he served in every capacity from production to management at the family company, Karsal Örme, which was founded in 1995, and stated that he took over the management of the company following his father's passing in 2016.

The hearing continues with the defense statements of the other defendants.

"I AM BEING TRIED BECAUSE OF MY FRIENDSHIP WITH EKREM İMAMOĞLU"

Stating that he does not know most of the people involved in the case file, Köksal also touched upon his relationship with Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Expressing that he has a long-standing family friendship with İmamoğlu dating back to Trabzon, Köksal said, "Our grandfathers, our fathers, and our children know each other. I know him not for his political identity, but for his human side. He is my friend, he is like an older brother to me. I am aware that the real reason I am being tried in this case is my friendship with Ekrem İmamoğlu."

"AHMET KÖKSAL IS DETAINED ONLY BECAUSE HE HELPED ME"

Stating that detained defendant Ahmet Köksal is his cousin, Köksal argued that the only reason Ahmet Köksal is in the case file is that he helped him.

"Most people in this file don't even know Ahmet," Köksal said, adding, "He is a very good lawyer. I believe he has been detained for 15 months only because we worked together and he helped me."

"I HAVE BEEN HELD IN A CELL THAT HAS NOT SEEN SUNLIGHT FOR 15 MONTHS"

Describing his detention process, Köksal said that all his assets were seized on March 6, 2025, he was taken into custody on March 19, and was arrested on March 23.

Stating that he was initially arrested on charges of bribery, but that this accusation was not included in the indictment, Köksal said, "I have been held in a solitary confinement cell where I haven't even seen sunlight for 15 months. The accusation described as 'strong suspicion' at the time of my arrest is not in the indictment. I cannot find a legal explanation for this."

"I DID NOT SQUANDER MY COMPANIES' MONEY, I PAID MY EMPLOYEES' SALARIES"

Defending that he did not attempt to flee or hide assets when his accounts were frozen, Köksal said his priority was his employees.

Stating, "There are people who have been working with me for over 25 years," Köksal noted that he continued to pay employee salaries, market debts, and bank loans to the extent of the companies' financial means.

"MOST OF THE NEWS ABOUT ME DID NOT EVEN MAKE IT INTO THE INDICTMENT"

Reacting to the coverage about him during the investigation process, Köksal claimed that documents in the file were distorted and leaked to the press.

Arguing that MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) reports were reflected incorrectly, Köksal said, "It was said that money was transferred from the İBB to my companies. However, we are the party making payments to the public. There is not a single penny that has come to me or my companies from the İBB or its subsidiaries."

"CLAIMS THAT I TRANSPORTED MONEY BY PRIVATE JET ARE LIES"

Stating that reports had been published claiming he transported money abroad via private jet, Köksal denied these allegations.

"I have never traveled abroad by private jet in my life. I have only traveled on scheduled flights. My flight records are available," said Köksal, arguing that these reports created psychological pressure on him.

"REPORTS OF EFFECTIVE REMORSE HURT MY PRIDE"

Explaining that he saw subtitles while watching television in prison claiming he had been released by benefiting from effective remorse, Köksal said, "I have lived my whole life to protect my honor and pride. Being portrayed as if I had committed a crime and confessed to it hurt my pride."

"I DECIDED TO INVEST IN THE ADVERTISING SECTOR"

Describing the process of entering the advertising sector, Köksal said that he was researching investment opportunities in different sectors in 2019 and decided to invest in the advertising and media field.

Stating that he had known Murat Kapki since his university years, Köksal said, "His knowledge and experience had an impact on my entry into the sector. We established a partnership model where I would provide the financing and Murat Kapki would provide the sectoral knowledge contribution."

"I MADE THE INVESTMENT IN BVA REKLAM"

Explaining why his shares in BVA Reklam initially appeared under Ahmet Köksal's name, Köksal stated that he was heavily involved with the affairs of the family company, Karsal Örme, at that time.

"I needed someone I could trust who could handle the company management. Ahmet is like a brother to me. That is the reason the shares appeared under his name. The investments I made in the companies and the personal guarantees I provided are transparent," he said.

"I PROVIDED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN FINANCING TO URBAN MEDYA"

Explaining that he invested in Urban Medya at the end of 2021, Köksal said he saw that the company was in serious financial distress.

Stating that he provided approximately 3 million dollars in financing and 3.5 million dollars in investment support to the company, Köksal said, "I provided personal guarantees for this investment and mortgaged my personal real estate. The shares in Urban Medya also remained under Ahmet Köksal's name for a while due to my heavy workload."

15:20 | FIRST DEFENSE BEGINS AFTER THE RECESS

Ahmet Köksal's lawyer, Fatih Hacıfazlıoğlu, stated that the charge of membership in an organization brought against his client was based on alleged secret meetings held at the Raffles Hotel, noting that Murat Kapki, who testified at the hearing, said these meetings did not take place. Hacıfazlıoğlu, noting that Köksal had only seen Murat Ongun from a distance a few times and did not know Emrah Bağdatlı at all, argued that there were no contact records in the file regarding these individuals.

Hacıfazlıoğlu stated that the date his client became a partner in BVA Reklam was July 2, 2020, and that some of the tenders subject to the indictment were carried out before this date, saying, "My client had no involvement in the execution of these tenders." Expressing that Köksal's role in the company was limited to legal consultancy, contract and specification reviews, and that he had no experience in the advertising sector, Hacıfazlıoğlu said that the company's commercial activities were carried out by other individuals.

Addressing the accusations of assets and money laundering in his defense, Hacıfazlıoğlu stated that the majority of the real estate mentioned in the indictment was acquired through inheritance, and that the transactions subject to the money laundering charges took place during a period when Köksal was not a partner in the company.

14:40 | FROM İMAMOĞLU TO MÜJDAT GEZEN: 'DON'T WORRY, I NEVER GOT OFF YOUR SILIVRI BOAT'

As he entered the courtroom, İmamoğlu addressed Müjdat Gezen, saying, "Müjdat brother, I love you very much. Don't worry, I never got off your Silivri boat." Gezen replied to İmamoğlu, saying, "Ekrem, I thank your mother and father; I'm glad you were born."

13:10 | REACTION FROM İMAMOĞLU TO KILIÇDAROĞLU

After the hearing was adjourned, Ekrem İmamoğlu addressed the audience as he left the courtroom, saying:

"I love you all very much. As I said this morning, they haven't opened an investigation into my mother and father, who were the reason for my birth, yet... It's a good thing they haven't... But they could open one at any moment... A friend of ours just fainted here. In fact, many people are facing great cruelty. I would like to thank my very valuable journalist friends here. I greet them all with respect, in the person of Uğur (Dündar) brother. I see our artist friends. I see our friends from political parties. Thank you all very much. You are all our friends and colleagues."

“A great cruelty is being experienced here. A struggle for honor and dignity is being waged under great oppression. But no one is lying here because of a single piece of evidence. Despite this, I return the words of those who speak against this, the mentality at the head of the government that has acted as the prosecutor of this process from the beginning, and the trustee at the head of my own dear party who uses the same language and slanders these people by calling them 'thieves' and 'bribery takers,' back to them on behalf of these innocent people.”

13:05 | HEARING ADJOURNED

The first recess of today's hearing in the İBB case has been called.

12:40 | "I HAVE 18 PROPERTIES, NOT 28, AND 16 OF THEM ARE INHERITED" 

Ahmet Köksal, an Urban Medya official and lawyer, argued in his defense that no concrete acts or evidence had been presented regarding the accusations against him in the indictment. Köksal, who stated that he served as a shareholder and board member at BVA Reklam and Urban Medya during certain periods but that the actual owner of the companies was his cousin Hüseyin Köksal, said his role in the companies was primarily limited to legal consultancy, contracts, and the execution of official procedures.

Köksal denied the accusations of bid-rigging and fraud causing public loss in the tenders for the operation of advertising spaces mentioned in the indictment. Stating that BVA Reklam never participated in some of the tenders and that in the tenders it did participate in, bids were submitted above the estimated values, Köksal argued that the calculations regarding public loss were internally contradictory. He explained that some tenders opened by the İBB were won by affiliate companies Kültür AŞ or Medya AŞ, and that BVA Reklam and Urban Medya subsequently received work by submitting bids in the sub-tenders.

Addressing the witness statements in the indictment, Köksal argued that these statements were contradictory, noting that one witness claimed to have seen him in an environment where tender negotiations were taking place, while another witness said they were "unaware of the issues." Denying allegations that he held secret meetings with Murat Ongun and Emrah Bağdatlı three days a week, Köksal said he had never seen Bağdatlı and had only seen Ongun from a distance twice.

Also denying the charge of membership in an organization, Köksal said the claim that he was in Murat Ongun's hierarchy did not reflect the truth. Claiming that the land registry records mentioned in the indictment were also incorrect, Köksal explained that instead of the 28 properties stated to be registered in his name, he had 18, most of which were hazelnut orchards and lands inherited in Trabzon. Köksal said, "There are 18 active title deed records registered in my name, not 28. 15 of these are hazelnut orchards and fields inherited in a village 10 kilometers from the center of the Çarşıbaşı district, which is 40 kilometers from the center of Trabzon province. One is the house where I was born and raised, also inherited. Apart from the inherited properties, two are real estate properties with field status, one acquired in 2016 in the Aksu district of Antalya and one in 2018 in the Bayındır district of İzmir."

12:20 | "YILMAZ HAS NOT DEFRAUDED THE PUBLIC"

Coşkun Atılgan, the lawyer for Ömür Yılmaz, owner of OMR Organizasyon, stated that 92 percent of OMR's turnover came from the private sector and only 8 percent from the public sector. He argued that Yılmaz received 7 out of 14 jobs he bid on in 2022, and 6 out of more than 20 jobs in 2023; that these jobs were completed, and there were no problems with progress payments or project completions.

The lawyer stated that the indictment against Yılmaz was based on witness testimonies, noting that some of these statements consisted of hearsay and evaluations from individuals who did not know his client, while others were accounts from people who gave new statements while they were in the position of defendants.

Atılgan argued that regarding the fraud charges, it was not demonstrated where the "trickery and deceit" occurred, and that there was no claim that Yılmaz performed the work he received incompletely, defectively, or late. Stating that "Ömür Yılmaz did not defraud the public," Atılgan requested his client's release, noting that there was no concrete demand or finding regarding public loss.

11:30 | ÖMÜR YILMAZ PRESENTED HIS DEFENSE

Following the incident where Erdinç Çolak, Deputy General Manager of Kültür A.Ş., fell ill at the defense podium and was removed from the courtroom, event company owner Ömür Yılmaz presented his defense. 

Stating that he founded his company, OMR Organization Media Advertising, in September 2020, Yılmaz said, "I won a tender at Medya A.Ş. in 2021. I received my first tender from Kültür A.Ş. in 2022. I always performed these tenders below market rates. I did not commit any irregularities. I won 6 tenders in 2023. I did not gain any unfair profit. I submitted bids for many tenders at Kültür A.Ş. in 2024, but I did not win them." 

Stating that photos of all his work are recorded, Yılmaz noted, "Let alone extracting excess money from the system, some suppliers were in a difficult situation because they received their payments from me very late. One of them is here. He constantly reminds me of his debt."

Defending himself against the allegations in the indictment, Yılmaz rejected claims that OMR Organization, which forms the basis of the accusations against him, was under the control of Emrah Bağdatlı, that he acted in line with the instructions of Murat Ongun, and that he transferred money into the system with invoices that did not reflect the truth. Stating that he has been the sole partner and authorized person of the company since its establishment, Yılmaz argued that he did not operate under anyone's direction.

Defending himself regarding actions numbered 82, 84, 86, 90, and 91, which are included in the indictment under the scope of fraud involving public loss, Yılmaz claimed that the work in the tenders in question was completed in full and did not cause any public loss. He explained that within the scope of action 82, in the 7.5 million lira job OMR received, approximately 3.4 million lira worth of work was reduced and a 4.1 million lira invoice was issued, and in the other 14.8 million lira job, approximately 15.5 million lira was invoiced after an increase in work. Claiming that his company was not at a loss but was a victim due to receivables he could not collect, Yılmaz said the same explanations applied to the other actions.

Yılmaz also rejected the statements of certain individuals and witnesses who benefited from effective remorse provisions. Stating that Vedat Şahin's claims that OMR was under the control of Murat Ongun and Emrah Bağdatlı, and that it had work done by subcontractors at low costs while issuing high-amount invoices, did not reflect the truth, Yılmaz argued that Şahin later retracted these statements.

Claiming that Gökhan Köseoğlu's statements that Emrah Bağdatlı managed OMR and that the companies issued invoices with high profit margins were based on inference, Yılmaz said he had no personal relationship with Köseoğlu. 

In response to Kamil Taşçı's claims that his company received the majority of İBB contracts, he stated that he had participated in 40 tenders but won only 14, and that these occurred only in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Confirming that he had a business relationship with Mete Maden's firm, Yılmaz argued that no irregular invoices were issued in exchange for the work performed.

Rejecting Deniz Dörtyol's claims that millions of liras were handed over to him, Yılmaz said he did not know Dörtyol and had never met him. Emphasizing that he did not receive any tenders from Kültür A.Ş. or Medya A.Ş. in 2024, Yılmaz stated that his 2024 turnover was 50 million liras, and argued that the allegations that 110 million liras were given to him were contrary to the ordinary course of life.

Arguing that the questions regarding money movements based on MASAK reports were also flawed, Yılmaz said that although he founded his company in 2020, he was asked about transactions between 2012 and 2017. Stating that intra-company money transfers were also evaluated as suspicious transactions, Yılmaz claimed that some account movements presented to him at the police station did not reflect the truth.

He stated that he won one tender from Medya A.Ş. in 2021, seven from Kültür A.Ş. in 2022, and six in 2023, and that he did not win any tenders in subsequent years. He said he won only 14 of the 40 tenders he participated in and that the majority of his work came from the private sector. Stating that he had never seen Murat Ongun and had not even had a single phone conversation with him, Yılmaz explained that he met with Emrah Bağdatlı due to their professional and social circles, and that they came together at Galatasaray matches and in mutual friend environments.

11:10 | FELL ILL DURING DEFENSE

As reported by CumhuriyetKültür AŞ Deputy General Manager Erdinç Çolak stated in his defense, 'Mr. Presiding Judge, today is the 403rd day. I have been inside a concrete coffin for 403 days. If I had gone on a world tour during this time, I would most likely have completed it by now. But I have been waiting for 403 days just to speak here for about 2 hours. Approximately 9,600 hours. And now I will give a 2-hour defense here. As if that were not enough, I will go back and wait in that concrete coffin for about another 3 hours. Actually, there is a very simple thing you need to do for me: Look at the Public Procurement Law. If you had looked at the expert report when it was submitted, perhaps I would not be detained here today. But despite this, you are keeping me detained here. You also know very well that I have health problems.'

Continuing his statements regarding his health condition, Çolak said, 'You know, Mr. President, that I have undergone 2 heart surgeries, have 7 heart stents, have had one heart vessel replaced, am a hypertension patient, and have to take 16 pills a day so as not to die inside that concrete coffin. As if this were not enough, you also know that I am not a civil servant. You know that I do not receive a single penny from my company, that I also have to pay alimony, and that while punishing me here, you are also punishing my children outside. There is neither a MASAK report nor an HTS record against me, nor is there even a negative statement given by any secret witness or any other witness, Mr. President.'

Later, recounting his life story, Çolak said, 'I am from Balıkesir. I have 2 children. I started my 4th university degree at Istanbul University. I developed software in Balıkesir until 2002-2006. I provided installation and support for server and network systems. In 2006, I received a job offer in Industrial Engineering and transitioned into the project sector.'

During his defense, Çolak said, 'Mr. President, my blood sugar has risen a bit...' and could not continue his speech. As Çolak, who had fallen ill, was being seated in the defendant's chair next to him, his lawyer said, 'It happens like this in every prison transport vehicle...'

Medical teams intervened shortly after for Çolak, who was surrounded by detained defendants and gendarmerie officers. After an initial check, Çolak was removed from the courtroom.

Former CHP MP Aykut Erdoğdu also commented on Çolak's health, stating, 'It is always like this in the prison transport vehicle. He ends up drenched in sweat.'

Çolak's lawyers alleged that their client had been unable to access his diabetes medication during the holiday period.

Following these developments, although it was announced that there would be a short break in the hearing, the Presiding Judge later reversed this decision. The hearing continued with the defense of one of the detained defendants, advertiser Ömür Yılmaz.

11:00 | "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" BANNER UNFURLED

As Ekrem İmamoğlu entered the courtroom, spectators unfurled banners reading "Happy Birthday."

At that moment, his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, called out, "Happy birthday, my dear love." Ekrem İmamoğlu responded to those in the courtroom by saying, "Let's not drag this out, or they might file a lawsuit against my mother and father for giving birth to me."

Before entering the courtroom, Dilek İmamoğlu told reporters, "I hope this is the last birthday spent here; that is my hope."