Buğra Gökce recounts his detention and court process in a letter from Silivri: 'I understand that my crime is...'

Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA) President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Buğra Gökce, who was arrested on corruption charges as part of an investigation launched into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), has written a letter from Silivri Prison.

Stating that he had served at the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality during 6 of the 7 actions he was questioned about, Gökce said, "Regarding the only action that took place during my tenure, I stated that I gave approval for an 'open tender' in 2023, and that this was a choice that should be thanked rather than being a crime."

Expressing that the MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) reports were not shown to them during the investigation, Gökce said, "We saw that it was a truly baseless arrest decision given to me and people I consider to be at least as innocent as I am, based on witnesses whose identities as real persons are not even clear."

At the end of his letter, Gökce included the following statements: "I understand that my crime is: sharing information, shedding light. As much as I can and as much as I have learned over all these years. My name is not Bahtiyar, but I am very fortunate in my conscience."

Gökce's letter is as follows:

Hello my dear friends…

As we all know, on March 18, we woke up to a pitch-black shame of a "coup against the future," which began with the cancellation of my very valuable President Ekrem İmamoğlu's diploma, followed by the detention of all of us.

Actually, we were not the ones who should have been ashamed. Perhaps because they took office for a long time by saying "May God not let us be ashamed" to each other, those who have no sense of shame continued to speak and write with a pleasant impudence, using the channels at their disposal, with slanders trying to tarnish our honor, dignity, reputation, and lives.

However, if I tell you a little bit about my own small story, you might have an idea about the scale, filth, and shamelessness of this slander and conspiracy.

In my police and prosecutor interrogations, like many of my friends, I was shown nearly 103 photos and asked if I recognized them. I said that I did not recognize almost anyone in the photos shown, except for our Mayor and my colleagues.

Again, as with everyone else, I was asked about 20 company names and whether I knew them or had any commercial relationship with them. In these first two questions, I was told, "But look carefully, no corrections can be made later." I stated that I did not know any of the companies and had no commercial relationship with any of them.

Then I was asked about 7 actions; I stated that it was impossible for me to have any information about 6 of these 7 actions because they took place during the years I worked at the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Regarding the only action that took place during my tenure, I stated that I gave approval for an "open tender" in 2023, and that this was a choice that should be thanked rather than being a crime.

THEY COULD NOT FIND A CRIME

I clearly demonstrated that I had "resigned from civil service" as of November 2023 and was a candidate in the local elections, and therefore I had neither authority nor duty in the implementation.

In summary, I clearly stated in both my police statement and my Prosecutor's statement (the Terror Prosecutors who took our statements stated that they were only tasked with taking statements and would forward them to the case prosecutor without expressing an opinion) that I had no information about 6 of the 7 actions asked, and that I had no responsibility other than approving an open tender in 1 of them. Following this, "HTS records were shown and I was told, 'Explain why you met with the following names at the specified places.'" All of the names asked were my colleagues at the IBB, especially President Ekrem. Honestly, I have met with them even less than I should have. I said, "We have to meet to manage the municipality, I don't understand what is being questioned about this." Among these questions, there was a friend I saw in the detention center, whom I knew during my duty in Izmir, who called when I came to Istanbul but whom I never met, and I explained that too. I summarized that I thought I had been brought to the police station by mistake.

Frankly, those who took the statement were also a bit surprised.

I was not asked a single question about any anomaly regarding my assets or account movements, nor was a MASAK report mentioned, nor was I asked a single question like "you are accused of doing these things" with a "secret witness" statement, or anything similar. In short, not a single flaw or abuse could be found in financial terms, so no questions were asked.

Although the Prosecutor's Office could have released us after taking our statements, our file, which was forwarded to the case prosecutor, was sent with a request for "arrest" like all other detentions. We were brought before the judge sleepless, hungry, and tired.

We were going to appear before the judge by distributing 92 names into 12 separate courts in groups of 7–8 people. Exactly 2 minutes before the hearing, the bailiff handed our lawyers a paper showing what we were accused of.

I learned that: I am accused of "being a member of a criminal organization and taking bribes."

I was stunned.

What criminal organization, what bribe...

As a senior manager who has worked for the public interest without any blemish throughout my 30-year public service, I saw that what was meant by a criminal organization were my friends who won the Istanbul election and were preparing to win the Turkey election. We were working only for Istanbul and the Republic of Turkey with each of our invaluable colleagues. We had no doubts about ourselves or the work we did. Moreover, we were appearing before the judge with 2 accusations that were never asked or mentioned in the police and prosecutor's office. Furthermore, there was not a single piece of evidence in the file regarding these two allegations. The judge threw the ball to us without asking any other questions, saying, "What do you say?"

We told them everything...

Even though we said, "If there is evidence, please show it. Do not let the bones of my father, a Cyprus veteran, ache; we gave statements without even knowing what we were accused of. There are minutes other than our statements. The right to defense has been violated, our reputation is being subjected to a severe assassination," the judge, who refrained from looking at our faces, said, "Please let these be written down."

TO BE ARRESTED...

10 minutes later, it was decided that we would be "arrested."

The reasons for the arrest decision for 6 people were as follows:

"When the suspects' secret witness statements, MASAK reports, and HTS records are examined, considering the strong suspicion of flight and the danger of tampering with evidence together, they are to be arrested..."

We saw that it was a truly baseless arrest decision given to me and people I consider to be at least as innocent as I am, based on MASAK reports that were never shown to us at any stage of the investigation, and witnesses whose identities as real persons are not even clear.

Moreover, I had stated before the judge that there was a decision of non-prosecution (KYOK) regarding an investigation conducted upon a criminal complaint by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding my assets.

Similarly, there were no meetings in the HTS records other than with my colleagues at the municipality. That is why no further questioning was done on this matter. In other words, I did not have a single shortcoming or abuse regarding the 3 main headings that were said to be examined as the "reason for arrest." Just as I had no responsibility, shortcoming, or abuse in the 7 actions that were asked to me in the Police and Prosecutor's interrogation, which were not even mentioned before the same judge...

So, up to this point, there was not a single flaw, error, or element of crime for 10 separate technical headings or subjects of inquiry.

The "suspicion of flight" issue in the decision's justification was a separate case study for me. Although I was in my lodgings on the morning of March 19, my house was not raided. Later I learned that my fiancée's house was raided at a time when she was not at home either. They entered the empty house with a locksmith and searched it. If there was a detention warrant for us, I waited for them to come and take us from where I worked or from our lodgings. However, when no one came, we went ourselves on the second day and carried out the process called "surrendering" by saying, "You are looking for us, we are here." Would a person with a suspicion of flight come and surrender on their own?

Again, in the "tampering with evidence" part of the decision's justification, I was in a completely passive position. That is, if I had taken a bribe, my or my relatives' assets should have increased, there should have been a bank movement or detection. These were not there. As for evidence like "similar title deeds, etc.," no person has the chance to tamper with this evidence even if we were outside.

In other words, these 2 suspicions, like the 10 justifications, were not evaluated within the conditions specific to us, but were melted into a general decision, and the decision was given in writing.

How easy it is to tarnish and damage the reputation and honor of people and their families... In my own example, I expressed the disgraceful accusations and legal baselessness fabricated against me.

However, when a television was connected to my room (by the way, Suat Toktaş's room was given to me) and my lawyer and deputy meetings began, I learned that one of the apparatuses of this case was explaining the reason for my arrest as follows:

"If you publish information and data separate from the State's data and statistics, they will package you like this."

RESULT 12-0 IN MY FAVOR

This apparatus, whose name is small but whose self is nauseating, actually implicitly expressed that the posts we made, the reports we announced, and the words we said not only did not please some people but also hurt them...

I understand that it is not enough that all these questions and justifications are 12/0 in my favor or empty and baseless from the perspective of those who claim them.

We are expected to remain silent, cower, and obey, rather than saying things that the political power's decision-makers do not like.

I understand that my crime is: sharing information, shedding light. As much as I can and as much as I have learned over all these years.

My name is not Bahtiyar, but I am very fortunate in my conscience, very moral, very righteous, just as befits a child of the homeland inherited from our Ata.

Down with Tyranny, Long Live Liberty!