Allegations of millions of liras in aid from municipalities to the terrorist organization DHKP/C! Was money transferred from Ataşehir, Maltepe, Sarıyer, and Şişli Municipalities?

A confessor identified as C.B. in the investigation into those providing financing to the terrorist organization DHKP/C stated that between 2014 and 2016, 400 thousand liras were transferred from the Şişli Municipality, 550 thousand from the Sarıyer Municipality, and 650 thousand liras from the Maltepe Municipality, and that the then-deputy mayor of Ataşehir also frequently sent money to a suspect.

IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE INDIVIDUALS COLLECTING MONEY FROM TRADESPEOPLE

New details and confessor testimony have been reached in the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Within the scope of the investigation, it was determined that between 2014 and 2016, one of the suspects, Doğan Karataştan, operated at a responsible level within the needs committee (İKOM), which was established to meet the needs of so-called institutions within the terrorist organization DHKP/C and to provide financial support to the organization, and that he was one of the individuals collecting money from institutions and tradespeople for the organization.

It was determined that one of the suspects, former Ataşehir Deputy Mayor Kalender Özdemir, is currently serving in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) according to Social Security Institution (SGK) records. The confessor C.B., whose statement was taken as part of the investigation, alleged that the suspect Doğan Karataştan received money from the Ataşehir Municipality on behalf of the organization and that Kalender Özdemir frequently sent money to Karataştan.

ALLEGATIONS OF FINANCIAL AID TO THE ORGANIZATION

C.B. claimed that former Maltepe Deputy Mayor and current İBB engineer Haydar Battal also sent one thousand liras to the organization every month during those years through the suspect Mahmut Serdar Kızılay, the former Social Affairs Manager of the Maltepe Municipality.

Explaining that Battal provided 2 thousand 500 liras in monthly financial aid to the organization until the suspect Zafer Eskiköy, who had served as a manager in the municipality, was dismissed, C.B. said, "This person gave this money to the organization either through Mahmut Serdar Kızılay, who also works at the municipality, or directly to me. Sometimes he gave the money through Doğan Karataştan. He is one of the people who collects the money to be gathered in the municipality's entire bribery pool. He has told us many times that the lump sums given to the organization were from the money he collected in the bribery pool I mentioned above."

ALLEGATION OF RECEIVING MONEY UNDER THE GUISE OF CONCERTS

The confessor C.B. stated that through the intermediary of the suspect Mahmut Serdar Kızılay, they met with the municipality's technical deputy mayor, suspect Sinan Çetiz, and the private secretary, suspect Melih Morsünbül, along with the suspect Doğan Karataştan, and conveyed their needs under the guise of Grup Yorum concert tickets.

C.B. described the allegation of receiving money from the Maltepe Municipality on behalf of the terrorist organization as follows:

"At first, they said, 'No, that's too large an amount for us.' We told them that if they gave us this money we requested, we would not come to ask for money again, and they accepted. Within a week, Doğan Karataştan received 300 thousand liras from the person named Serdar Kızılay. We said that the Mahir Hüseyin Ulaş Park in Gülsuyu needed to be rebuilt because it was burned down by gangs and that materials needed to be purchased for it; he said to us, 'If we gave our word, we will do it,' and directed us to Sinan Çetiz. Two months later, Sinan Çetiz delivered 250 thousand liras to Serdar Kızılay. Doğan Karataştan then received it from Serdar Kızılay. Apart from the events I have described, we received nearly 100 thousand liras from the municipality under the guise of concert and picnic tickets, in pieces of 5-10 thousand liras. The total income the organization has obtained from here to date is approximately 650 thousand liras. This money was transferred to the DHKP/C organization."

500 THOUSAND LIRAS REQUESTED

C.B., who also alleged that they requested 500 thousand liras during their meeting in the garden of the Küçük Armutlu Cemevi with Sarıyer Municipal Council Member and Armutlu Neighborhood Headman Ali Haydar Arslan, stated, "The money was delivered by the municipality to Headman Ali Haydar Arslan. Subsequently, we received the money from him in person. However, as the process dragged on over certain periods, we met many times with Şehnaz Bulut, the private secretary of Mayor Şükrü Genç. As a result of the meetings, they stated that the money would be paid and gave us the money. The income the organization obtained from here is approximately 550 thousand liras."

C.B. alleged that approximately 400 thousand liras were transferred to the terrorist organization DHKP/C from the Şişli Municipality.