Striking petition from Zeydan Karalar's lawyers for his release: 'HTS records do not match the allegations!'

The detention status of Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar has returned to the agenda ahead of a review scheduled for December 9, 2025. In a petition submitted to the court, Karalar's lawyers requested their client's release. The application for Karalar, who has been detained at Silivri Prison since July 8, 2025, draws attention to contradictions between the HTS records in the case file and the statements provided.

IT IS CLAIMED THAT HTS RECORDS DO NOT MATCH THE ALLEGATIONS

One of the main points of the petition is that HTS (phone signal) data does not align with the accusations in the indictment. The lawyers argued that the alleged money deliveries on April 13, 2018, and March 7, 2019, were impossible because the defendant Tekin Sönmez was in different cities on those dates.

The following findings in the petition stand out:

April 13, 2018 Allegation: The indictment claims that a money delivery took place in Adana on April 13, 2018. However, the lawyers stated that they have proven with HTS records that Tekin Sönmez left Adana on April 12, 2018, and was in Istanbul on the alleged date.

March 7, 2019 Allegation: Similarly, the claim that a money delivery took place in Adana on March 7, 2019, was refuted. HTS data shows that Tekin Sönmez was in Istanbul at that time and did not arrive in Adana until March 25, 2019.

INCONSISTENCIES IN DEFENDANT BAKİ NUGAY'S STATEMENTS

The petition also noted inconsistencies in the statements of defendant Baki Nugay. It was highlighted that in his first statement during the investigation phase, Nugay said, "I did not bribe anyone," but changed his statement a few months later to say, "I made payments because I could not receive my progress payments." Furthermore, the lawyers stated that it was suspicious that Nugay claimed he could not remember his place of residence in his statement on May 15, 2025, yet clearly remembered events from years ago.

The lawyers also questioned the timing of the bribery allegations. They argued that claims that bribery payments began at the end of 2017, 18 months after the contract was signed in May 2016, were illogical. They also argued that it was extraordinary for Zeydan Karalar to seek benefits for a future tender at a time when his term was set to expire in March 2019 and it was uncertain whether he would run for office again.

CRITICISMS DIRECTED AT THE MASAK REPORT

The petition also addressed the report prepared by MASAK on May 24, 2025. The report stated that there were 2,798 outgoing transactions totaling 474 million TL in defendant Hamit Ünal's accounts between 2017 and 2019. However, the lawyers stated that selecting only 11 transactions out of these thousands to serve as the basis for the accusation was far from objective.

CONCLUSION REQUEST FOR ZEYDAN KARALAR'S RELEASE

At the end of the petition, it was noted that Zeydan Karalar is 67 years old and worked actively at the municipal building every day of the week, emphasizing that there is no risk of flight. In light of expert opinions and HTS data, the lawyers requested that Karalar be released at the detention review to be held on December 9, 2025.