Ender Saraç, accused of abusing his son, appears in court: 'I haven't seen my children for months'

Famous dietitian and nutritionist Ender Saraç, who was accused of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son from his marriage to Benan Saraç, with whom he is currently in divorce proceedings, appeared in court facing up to 22.5 years in prison regarding the 'abuse' allegations that were later retracted by the child and the mother during the investigation phase. Ender Saraç appeared before the judge facing a prison sentence of up to 22.5 years.

Stating that he has not been able to see his children for about 4 months and that he misses them very much, Ender Saraç could not hold back his tears. In his defense, Saraç said, "I have been a well-known doctor in Turkey for 30 years. I have been victimized. I have been harmed. I urgently request my acquittal and to have my life back" he said.

REQUEST FOR CLOSED HEARING

At the first hearing held at the Istanbul 34th High Criminal Court, Ender Saraç, who is being tried without arrest, attended, while Benan Saraç and the victimized child did not.

The lawyer for the Ministry of Family and Social Services, lawyers appointed by the bar association on behalf of the child, and Ender Saraç's lawyers were also present at the hearing.

Ender Saraç's lawyer, Altın Mimir, requested that the hearing be held behind closed doors due to her client's personal rights and the child's young age. However, the court rejected the request for a closed session, stating that the necessary conditions had not been met.

'I DID NOT EVEN COME CLOSE'

When asked for his defense, Ender Saraç said, "I absolutely and completely deny this crime. This is a pre-planned trap. I did not even come close to it; it is a conspiracy." he said. Saraç stated that his son retracted all accusations in his second testimony given at the Child Monitoring Center, and claimed that Benan Saraç, who was going through a divorce process with him that began in September 2023, spoke on the phone with her lawyer Yücel Önder to receive instructions on what to have their son write.

Ender Saraç alleged that after the minutes in question were drawn up, Benan Saraç sent these minutes and video recordings, which he claimed were prepared by editing, to fugitive Muhammed Yakut, who is wanted under a red notice for various crimes, and that they were shared on social media through Yakut, further claiming that these images were created using artificial intelligence.

'ALL ALLEGATIONS ARE LIES'

Explaining that various slanders were made against him and his employees, Saraç "Their FETÖ connections are emerging. We learned that Benan Saraç was detained by the organized crime branch regarding this. She was released yesterday. All of their allegations are lies" he said.

HEARING ADJOURNED

The court panel warned that Benan Saraç's excuse, which she had submitted, was accepted for this one time only, and decided that she should be heard at the next session, that the victim's testimony should be taken in the presence of an expert, and that the guidance counselors should be heard as witnesses.

The court panel rejected the request to investigate Benan Saraç's mental health and decided to admit the lawyer for the Ministry of Family and Social Services to the proceedings.

The panel denied the request for Ender Saraç's arrest and adjourned the hearing.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office states that the victim, M.S., told his teachers at school on December 5, 2023, that he had been sexually abused by his father, and that the reports kept by the teachers and school administration were reported to the police, leading the prosecutor's office to launch an investigation.

The indictment notes that in his first statement at the Child Monitoring Center (ÇİM) on December 7, 2023, the victim child described being abused, but in an additional statement given at the ÇİM on December 13, 2023, he claimed that he had fabricated the sexual abuse allegations to teach his father a lesson because his father treated his mother and them poorly, adding that he had not been abused and was not filing a complaint.

It was stated that Benan Saraç also gave an additional statement to the police on December 13, 2023, in which she said that during a conversation with her child, her son told her he had made false statements about his father, that the child had invented the sexual abuse incident to keep his father away from their family, and that for this reason, they were withdrawing their complaint against the suspect.

The indictment emphasizes that the victim child's detailed initial statements were deemed sincere and reflective of the truth, and that the child's subsequent withdrawal of the complaint after the case reached the judiciary and the media was not considered credible. A prison sentence of 12 to 22.5 years was requested for Ender Saraç for the crime of "Child Sexual Abuse."