The mystery of the secret witness in the İmamoğlu operations continues: Secret witness Zafer Gül gave conflicting statements! Was he pressured?

The fact that contractor Zafer Gül, who is mentioned as an "important witness" in the investigations conducted into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, gave completely contradictory testimonies regarding the same event has sparked debate. Gül, who denied bribery allegations in his previous testimony, drew a different picture in his new testimony by accusing Ekrem İmamoğlu and his team.

STATEMENT FROM İBB: TESTIMONIES ARE CONTRADICTORY

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) issued a new briefing following some witness testimonies that were reflected in the public eye after the operation on March 19. In the municipality's statement, the contradictory declarations of Zafer Gül, the brother of fugitive contractor Ali Gül, were highlighted.

In the İBB statement, it was emphasized that in his testimony dated April 22, 2021, Gül said, "I have no commercial relationship with the mayor and his deputies, all sales were made for a price, we bought 4 apartments from Asoy İnşaat," and also rejected the accusations by saying, "I did not pay bribes, I did not transfer any apartments to anyone free of charge."

However, in his new testimony to the prosecutor's office in 2025, Zafer Gül claimed that the municipality demanded a bribe from him and that he was forced to transfer 13 apartments free of charge because he could not pay 6 million TL. This change raised the question, "Was he pressured to change his testimony?"

TWO DIFFERENT TESTIMONIES, TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS

There are major differences between Zafer Gül's testimonies. In his first testimony, Gül stated that he did not pay any bribes to the municipality, that the apartment sales took place within a legal framework, and that the title deed transfers were completely legal; however, in his new testimony in 2025, he made the exact opposite statement, claiming that he was forced to transfer the apartments due to pressure from municipal officials.

In his new testimony, Gül alleged that "Adem Soytekin and Fatih Keleş acted as intermediaries in this process, and that the apartments were transferred free of charge as a result of pressure from municipal officials." He also argued that the entire process was conducted in connection with political will.

However, the fact that Zafer Gül did not mention any pressure in his previous testimony and categorically denied the bribery allegations in 2021 has raised the question, "Why did the testimonies change?"

IS HE UNDER PRESSURE?

Zafer Gül's contradictory declarations have created question marks regarding whether there are different dynamics behind the event. The disputes between him and his brother Ali Gül over the division of property are also considered a factor that should be taken into account during this process.

While İBB officials emphasize that the process should not be directed by political manipulations, it is stated that the inconsistencies in Zafer Gül's testimonies could affect the course of the investigation.