Shocking decision!.. Bora Kaplan and the police officers who conducted the operation will be tried together

12punto.com.tr Müyesser YILDIZ

Following the first statement given by Serdar Sertçelik, who is both a defendant and a secret witness in the Bora Kaplan criminal organization case, after his return to Turkey, in which he accused the police officers who conducted the operation and the investigating prosecutor, another shocking development has occurred. It has been decided that the trial of the police officers who conducted the Bora Kaplan operation but are being tried on charges of negligence in allowing Serdar Sertçelik to flee abroad will be merged with the Bora Kaplan case.

After Serdar Sertçelik fled abroad, he stated in his declarations that he was the secret witness with the code M7, claimed that the police had fabricated the statement in question, and further alleged that they had asked him to name certain politicians. Following these claims and MHP Leader Devlet Bahçeli's characterization of this operation as a "coup against the MHP, AKP, and the People's Alliance," the police officers who conducted the Bora Kaplan operation were first suspended and then arrested.

The trial opened at the Ankara 13th Criminal Court of First Instance against a total of 11 defendants, including former Ankara Deputy Police Chief Murat Çelik, former Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime (KOM) Branch Manager Kerem Gökay Öner, Branch Deputy Manager Şevket Demircan, and commissioners Gökhan Karaca, Metehan İlkyaz, and Ufuk Gültekin, who remained in custody for 3 to 5 months, on charges of "aiding a criminal, misconduct in office, disclosure of confidential information related to duty, and influencing those performing judicial duties." However, after four hearings, the Court issued a "lack of jurisdiction" decision on September 17 and sent the file to the Ankara 33rd High Criminal Court. Upon the Ankara 33rd High Criminal Court also issuing a "counter-lack of jurisdiction" decision, it was ruled that the file be sent to the 5th Criminal Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice to resolve the jurisdictional dispute.

Here are the developments regarding this matter:

On January 9, the 5th Criminal Chamber of the Ankara Regional Court of Justice unanimously decided that the case involving 11 defendants, including 6 police officers, should be heard at the Ankara 33rd High Criminal Court, citing "the content of the file, the nature of the crimes charged against the defendants, the way the events are described in the indictment, and the justifications in the Ankara 13th Criminal Court of First Instance's lack of jurisdiction decision."

The Ankara 33rd High Criminal Court, which was assigned to hear the case, wrote to the 32nd High Criminal Court, which is hearing the main Bora Kaplan case, on February 9, stating that it was assessed that "there is a legal, personal, and factual connection between the two files, and that the trial should be conducted together and the evidence evaluated together," and requested consent for the merger of the police officers' case with the main case.

The Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court also gave its consent for the merger of the two cases today in a written response, citing "factual connection."

In summary; due to the decision taken by the Board of Presidents of the Criminal Chambers of the Regional Court of Justice on October 21 to overturn a portion of the sentences given in the 61-defendant main Bora Kaplan case, and to merge the other cases opened against the police officers and Serdar Sertçelik with the main case, Bora Kaplan, Serdar Sertçelik, and the former KOM police officers will all be tried together in the trial that will resume in April.