Harassment caught on camera! AKP mayor not arrested...: 12punto obtains footage

Report: Rojda ALTINTAŞ

A verdict has been reached in the sexual assault case of Cengiz Koçyiğit, who was elected Mayor of Mesudiye, Ordu, from the AKP in the local elections.

On May 16, 2024, the prosecutor's office launched an investigation into 51-year-old Koçyiğit on charges of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 27-year-old woman working at the municipality. Koçyiğit was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison but was not arrested. Only a travel ban was imposed.

In her statement, the woman explained that Koçyiğit assaulted her in the municipal building's storage room. She stated that on March 18, she secretly recorded the incident using a phone she borrowed from a friend to document the assault. Those images are now in the court file.

According to the indictment, Koçyiğit repeatedly sexually assaulted a young woman working at the municipality. The woman secretly recorded the final assault with a mobile phone. The footage was submitted to the court as evidence. The prosecutor's office stated clearly, “There is no romantic relationship; it is clear from the footage that there was no consent.”

The verdict record of the Mesudiye Criminal Court of First Instance stated that although Mayor Cengiz Koçyiğit denied the accusations, he indirectly admitted to the incident in his statement. The court emphasized that the victim's statements were consistent, sincere, and compatible with witness testimonies.

The WhatsApp correspondence and the footage recorded by the woman with her mobile phone were examined. The footage clearly shows the moments when Koçyiğit says, “Let me touch you for a second,” and makes sexually motivated contact. Additionally, a message from Koçyiğit stating, “Contact is a must,” was also included in the file.

The prosecutor found Koçyiğit's repeated visits to the cleaning storage room to be “contrary to the ordinary flow of life.” It was reported that the victim had set up a camera system to collect evidence due to previous assaults she had experienced, thereby documenting that the incident was recurring.

In light of all this evidence, the prosecutor requested that Koçyiğit be punished for the crime of serial simple sexual assault and that he be sentenced under Articles 102/1 and 43/1 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).

The camera recordings entered into the case file show the moments when the defendant, Cengiz Koçyiğit, attempted to make physical contact with the 27-year-old female victim without her consent.