Bribery operation at Büyükçekmece Municipality: Released, then re-arrested

Civil engineer Serkan Kayasel, who was released as part of a case concerning allegations that 144 villas worth approximately 8 billion 630 million liras were built in Istanbul's Büyükçekmece district using fake reports and bribery, has been re-arrested for failing to comply with judicial control measures.

Kayasel had been arrested on January 21 as part of the investigation into the case and was released on May 8.

During the first hearing of the case held yesterday at the Bakırköy 13th High Criminal Court, it was determined that the non-custodial defendant Kayasel had arrived at the courtroom during the identity verification process. The presiding judge stated that an arrest warrant had been issued for Kayasel on the grounds that he had not complied with the judicial control measures imposed on him. Following this, defendant Serkan Kayasel was removed from the courtroom by police teams for the necessary procedures to be carried out.

In its decision, the court panel noted that a new expert examination could be conducted on the properties subject to the case and that, in this state, the evidence had not yet been fully collected.

ARRESTED ON GROUNDS THAT FLIGHT RISK PERSISTS

Taking into account the nature of the crime charged against the defendant, the panel decided to arrest Kayasel—for whom an arrest warrant had been issued due to his failure to comply with the judicial control measures stipulated after his previous release—on the grounds that the suspicion of flight persists.

Following the decision, Kayasel was arrested and sent to prison.

The trial of 23 defendants, including Deputy Mayor of Büyükçekmece Nuraydın Sak, regarding the allegations that 144 villas worth approximately 8 billion 630 million liras were built in Büyükçekmece using fake reports and bribery, continues today.