Key figure in IBB investigation, İdris Özcelep, attempts suicide for the second time

İdris Özcelep, an official at Tanpa Madencilik who emerged as a complainant in investigations following operations targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), has returned to the spotlight with a second suicide attempt. It was learned that due to the pressure he was under and his inability to make progress on his projects, Özcelep attempted suicide with a firearm in front of the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change building in Ataşehir the other day. Police teams persuaded Özcelep to abandon the act.

Detained at the scene and questioned by police, Özcelep stated that he had been experiencing serious economic problems since his name became involved in the investigation and that his projects had come to a standstill. In his statement, Özcelep expressed that he had been found to be in the right by various ministries regarding the mining site in Pendik Kurnaköy in the past, but was still unable to realize the project. After his requests were not met, he had filed a complaint against the IBB and conducted numerous correspondences with the relevant official institutions. However, he explained that he had entered a major mental impasse because no progress could be made in the process.

Furthermore, Özcelep stated that the incidents in front of the courthouses and ministries in Istanbul were fundamentally rooted in his name appearing in the media and the threats directed at him. Özcelep said, "Because my name was mentioned in the IBB case, threats started to be directed at me. We experienced incidents such as a cartridge being left at my business partner's house." He expressed regret for causing panic in the area and stated that he had purchased the weapon from an individual he did not know for 3,000 TL.

According to a report by Cumhuriyet, following his processing at the police station, Özcelep was referred to court on charges of "purchasing or possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition." In his statement to the criminal judgeship of peace, Özcelep emphasized the economic difficulties he faced and that his name being mentioned in the public eye increased his victimization, stating, "I have suffered a loss in monetary terms that cannot be recovered. As a result of the great depression I experienced, and also because I had given a statement as a complainant in the IBB investigation at the Istanbul Courthouse, the disclosure of my name to the public caused my victimization to multiply." The court released Özcelep with a travel ban and an obligation to sign in twice a week.

'MY NAME WAS SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC'

İdris Özcelep, who also attempted suicide at the Istanbul Courthouse in August of last year, said the following in his statement after that incident: "I am on the victim and complainant side regarding the IBB. I gave a statement about this before. They told me my information would remain confidential. However, after the operations, my name was shared with the public. I felt that my honor was played with and that I was being used. I could not accept it. That is why I tried to jump down the moment they tried to send me away."

Özcelep's name had appeared as a complainant among those detained last April within the scope of bribery allegations against the ISKI General Manager and the relevant department head. In that incident, Özcelep's statements were taken into account in the investigation launched after Tanpa Madencilik officials alleged that they were asked for bribes for an excavation dumping site permit. However, the allegations were denied by the ISKI side.

İdris Özcelep, whose images of being at the ISKI General Directorate building in the past to meet with Şafak Başa were reflected in the press, continues to remain on the agenda as one of the parties to the case.