Second week in the Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization trial

The trial of the Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organization continues in its second week.

The fifth hearing day will be held today in the case, which is being conducted by the Istanbul 1st High Criminal Court at the Marmara Prison complex in Silivri. With the defense statements of the detained defendants nearing an end, the court is expected to make an interim assessment regarding their detention status over the weekend.

CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION LEADER AKTAŞ IS NOT IN CUSTODY

While Aziz İhsan Aktaş, who is defined as the “leader of the criminal organization” in the indictment, continues to be tried without being in custody, there are 33 defendants in the file who are currently detained. The defense statements of 20 detained defendants were taken in the first four days. After the remaining names are heard, the statements of the defendants who are not in custody will begin.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST WEEK?

In the first days of the trial, it was noted that Aktaş arrived at the hearings accompanied by a large number of bodyguards. His lawyer stated that these bodyguards were official personnel provided by the state.

The court panel did not accept the requests for separation, lack of jurisdiction, and lack of authority submitted before the defenses began. During the first day, the identities of approximately 200 defendants were verified.

On the second and third days, the defenses of the detained mayors came to the fore. Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin stated that the business relations between Aktaş and the municipality were terminated during her term. Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar denied the accusations and argued that the claims were brought up for political reasons.

A dispute arose between the court and the audience regarding taking images in the courtroom. The court president announced that the hearings would be held without an audience after images were shared despite the ban. This decision was withdrawn after the objections of CHP deputies, but it was reported that the ban would be implemented if it happened again. The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also launched an investigation into the images taken in the hall.

On the third day, the court president's words, “we are looking at the file with the precision of a jeweler,” stood out. On the same day, some municipal bureaucrats and company executives also presented their defenses.

On the fourth day, the statement of Esenyurt Municipality employee Mert Çelik came to the agenda. Çelik claimed that his “no” answer to a question directed at him was recorded as “yes” in the indictment.

The court is handling the file within the framework of 10 main headings and is giving priority to the detained defendants. In this context, Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, for whom a prison sentence of up to 415 years is requested, is expected to make his defense as the last detained defendant.

The defense statements of 22 defendants, including Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere, will be taken via instruction in the provinces where they are located.

SECRET WITNESSES WILL BE HEARD IN UPCOMING HEARINGS

Two secret witnesses with the code names “Yaprak” and “XYZ49QP” in the file are also planned to be heard via SEGBİS in the upcoming hearings.

EYES TURN TO THE INTERIM DECISION

The most critical agenda item of the second week will be the interim decision to be made regarding the detained defendants. It is a matter of curiosity whether a release decision with judicial control conditions will be issued for some names whose defenses have been completed.

The hearings are planned to continue uninterrupted until February 20.