Supreme Court member Kocaman received 'vehicle payment' from crime syndicate leader's assistant: The negotiation conducted with two police officers

The payment for the car, which was stated to belong to Yüksel Kocaman, was made from the account of Kaplan's assistant, Sevda S. In the account movements prepared and documented by MASAK, it was observed that Sevda S. made payments of 5 thousand and 338 thousand 650 liras to Borusan Oto on October 2, 2019, under the descriptions "Yüksel Kocaman vehicle deposit" and "Yüksel Kocaman vehicle price."

Just one day after this payment, Kocaman registered the luxury BMW 3.20 model vehicle in his own name. In the testimony given by Serdar Sertçelik, one of the defendants in the Kaplan case, as a secret witness, the allegation that a BMW was purchased for Kocaman was included, and the prosecutor's office had requested an investigation into these claims.

The police investigation report prepared upon instruction included the statement of the company owner regarding Kocaman's exchange of this BMW 3.20 model vehicle for a BMW 5.20 vehicle in March 2020 by paying a difference of 150 thousand liras. Previously, a MASAK report regarding payments sent to Kocaman by defendant Kürşad Tan Hakbilir under the guise of rent had also been entered into the same file.

BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KOCAMAN HAD SURFACED

According to the report by Asuman Aranca from t24, bribery allegations against Supreme Court member Yüksel Kocaman had surfaced immediately after the arrest of crime syndicate leader Ayhan Bora Kaplan in September 2023. It was alleged that Kocaman, who is accused of having closed 7 out of 8 investigation files against Kaplan during his tenure as Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor, was gifted a luxury BMW by Kaplan and that the furniture for his luxury villa in Gölbaşı was also paid for by him. A very striking document has been entered into the case file opened against Kaplan for money laundering. Upon the prosecutor's office's instruction to examine and document the account movements sent by MASAK, the police placed certain individuals connected to companies belonging to Kaplan under scrutiny. The data obtained as a result of the examination was reported to the prosecutor's office with a report in July 2024. The prosecutor's office sent this document to the Ankara 77th Criminal Court of First Instance, where the case is being heard, yesterday.

338 THOUSAND 650 LIRAS DEPOSITED IN CASH

The 22-page report included details of the account movements of Sevda S., who worked as an "assistant" at MRL Restoran, a company belonging to Kaplan that was among the companies seized within the scope of the investigation. In the report, it was noted that Sevda S., who worked at MRL Restoran at the time of the transfer with the title of "Customer Service Officer/Assistant" and whom Kaplan described in his testimony as "my salaried employee, my accounting staff, the employee who withdraws and deposits money from banks upon my instructions," had a highest cash transaction amount of 338 thousand 650 liras between January 2017 and March 2024. The report stated that this money was deposited into the account in cash on October 2, 2019, and was subsequently transferred to the "Borusan Oto Servis" account with the description "Yüksel Kocaman vehicle price." It was stated that 5 thousand liras were also sent to the same firm on the same day with the description "Yüksel Kocaman vehicle deposit."

On the other hand, the 199-page investigation report prepared by the police in April 2024, upon the prosecutor's office's instruction to investigate the secret witness statements given by Serdar Sertçelik under the code "M7," also contained information confirming the records seen in Sevda S.'s account movements. In the investigation regarding the statement in the secret witness testimony that "Kaplan bought a luxury BMW brand vehicle for Kocaman," information was included that the BMW 3.20 model vehicle registered in the name of Yüksel Kocaman on October 3, 2019—just one day after Sevda S. sent the payment—was transferred to a firm named MAS Otomotiv on March 10, 2020. 

THE NEGOTIATION CONDUCTED WITH TWO POLICE OFFICERS

The investigation report also included the statement of Murat Arslan, the owner of MAS Otomotiv, who was questioned in this context. In his statement, Arslan explained that "he received a trade-in offer by phone for the BMW 5.20 model vehicle he purchased on behalf of his firm in 2020, and that as a result of the negotiation he conducted with two police officers who later came to his office, they agreed on the transfer of the BMW 5.20 brand vehicle to Kocaman by paying a difference of 150 thousand liras over the BMW 3.20 vehicle." Noting that the sales transactions of the vehicle were carried out by his bodyguard M.Ö., to whom Kocaman gave power of attorney, Arslan stated that 7 months later, in November 2020, the same bodyguard police officer agreed to pay 210 thousand liras on top of the BMW 5.20 vehicle for a Land Rover brand vehicle worth 1 million 100 thousand liras. Arslan stated that the difference of 210 thousand liras was sent by Kocaman's wife, Ayça Kocaman, and also submitted the receipt for this.

ELECTED TO THE SUPREME COURT ONE YEAR AND ONE MONTH LATER

At the time the payment was made, Kocaman was the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor. Approximately one year and one month after the payment, he was elected as a member of the Supreme Court. During the period between October 2019, when the vehicle payment was made, and November 2020, the salary of a 1st-class judge/prosecutor was approximately 15 thousand liras. Kocaman, who married in September 2020, also occupied the agenda for a long time with his Bodrum vacation, which he took by helicopter with his fiancée shortly before the wedding and which cost more than 9 thousand liras per night at the time.