Third week in the IMM trial: Murat Çalık and Resul Emrah Şahan present their defense

The trial involving 402 defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, with 107 currently in custody, regarding the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), is entering its third week. The hearings will continue with the 8th session following the Eid al-Fitr break.

DEFENSES AND CROSS-EXAMINATION PROCESS

In today's session, it is expected that Ağaç A.Ş. General Manager Ali Sukas will complete his defense, which was interrupted last week. Following this, statements from lawyers will be taken, and the cross-examination phase will begin. Afterward, it is planned to hear the defense of Altan Ertürk.

During the week, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan and Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık will also appear before the judge to present their defenses.

14.45 | İMAMOĞLU: WHAT THE PROSECUTION HAS PRESENTED IS GARBAGE

The prosecution, which claimed that Ağaç AŞ, with a budget not even reaching 5 billion, had 20 billion in payments before the 2024 local elections and displayed a table, appeared at the hearing with a newly prepared graph. Sukas stated that Ağaç AŞ's payments were two months behind, which is why there might be increases in some months.

Responding to questions from Ümit Polat's lawyer, Sevgi Dağdemir, after the judge and prosecutor's questioning, Ali Sukas said, "I did not say I heard that Ümit Polat took bribes. I could not have kept a record without concrete evidence." Taking the floor to ask a question to Sukas, Ekrem İmamoğlu said, "What the prosecution has presented is garbage. It could have been prepared better even with a middle school IQ." İmamoğlu stated that the prosecution's previous table was proven to be a lie by the graph prepared today and made a call to the court.

İmamoğlu asked Sukas, "Did I impose anything? Did I say 'fire those who are from the AK Party'?" Sukas replied, "Absolutely not. I had said, 'I will leave, you will stay'." Sukas's chief of staff, Murat Or, had been holding the same position since the AKP era.

The prominent dialogues in the questions asked by İmamoğlu are as follows:

Ekrem İmamoğlu: The tables reflected by the prosecution are lies; I condemn the prosecution. Mr. General Manager Ali, how did you start your job?

Ali Sukas: I am a forest engineer. I am someone who constantly pays attention to my professional development. I have constantly updated myself. I am someone known in academic circles and the professional community. After the 2019 elections, human resources from the IMM called me. 15-20 days later, I was called again by Human Resources, and we had a preliminary interview. Then, when I was hired, I went to see Ekrem Bey, and that was the first time I met him.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: Was there any pressure regarding the managers you worked with during the 6-7 year period? Was there a request from me or anyone else saying, 'Ekrem İmamoğlu, appoint this person here'?

Ali Sukas: I can say for sure, never. There was never such a request.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: Was there ever an imposition such as 'these people you work with are from this party, fire them immediately'?

Ali Sukas: Absolutely not on this matter either. I said we would continue with everyone who does their job. Such a thing did not happen at Ağaç A.Ş. or anywhere else.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: I visit an affiliate at least once every year. I visit 32 affiliates at least once a year and hold meetings. We also had managers from the past. I always heard the phrase 'The Mayor has come to visit' for the first time. How were these meetings?

Ali Sukas: Presentations about that company would be made. We would make a presentation to the Mayor entirely about the company's activities. If we had a request, we would convey it. There would be no other meetings.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: There were moments when we met outside of meetings; where were these points where we met, and why did we come together?

Ali Sukas: We would meet at the openings of the new parks we built. The Mayor would get information from me, and I would provide information, but we never sat down and talked somewhere privately; there was no opportunity. I wish we could have sat down, but it didn't happen. For example, there were the Antalya and Muğla fires; there was a meeting on what could be done as IMM for that region, and I attended that too.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: Did we have a meeting as stated in the indictment, or as I call it, the 'slander-ment'?

Ali Sukas: If there were such a structure, I would have felt it more or less. I have not witnessed a secret meeting, nor have I even heard rumors of one.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: There are business people who are defendants. Did I ever make a statement to you regarding a firm present here or not, saying 'work with this one' or 'don't work with that one'?

Ali Sukas: It absolutely never happened.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: If there was even one, directly or indirectly, please say so.

Ali Sukas: No, it never happened.

Ekrem İmamoğlu: They took down my posters in Trabzon; who am I going to complain about now, and who made the decision on this matter? My pictures were banned; I am asking to learn, did you make such a decision?

Presiding Judge: No, we do not have such a document.

14.00 | THE HEARING CONTINUES WITH QUESTIONS

The break has ended. The questioning of Ali Sukas by the judge and prosecutor has begun. The presiding judge asked Sukas about the scoring criteria of Ağaç AŞ; Sukas said, "It existed before us too." Regarding the issue of aid cards, Sukas said, "This is a tradition; companies doing business with us leave the choice to us, it is collected with discipline, but it is not something systematic. According to the person's heart..."

The presiding judge reminded that Ali Sukas asked Alaattin Vardar, "Did anyone ask you for anything?" and said, "Did you ask any other supplier?" Sukas replied, "When the rumors intensified, I felt the need to question, for precautionary purposes, I did it to protect the company."

Ali Sukas: Perhaps the essential thing is this, it should be looked at from this aspect too: Now, I have been in custody for ten months. This incident occurred about nine days before I was taken into custody. I realized this; since those who work with me are being arrested, I also know the process of the IMM operations. Every fifteen days, twenty, forty, fifty people are being detained and arrested. So, I had no hesitation that I would also be detained and arrested. As someone who encountered this picture nine days ago and saw this situation; if I had a green passport, which I do because my wife is a lawyer, I mean, I would have fled. I could have fled, I had this opportunity. But I did not flee because I believe I am innocent. I believed it then, and I believe it today. I also trust in justice. Ultimately, we have been lying in prison for ten months, yes, it may be; but in the end, I believe I will be acquitted. I trust in the law, and I trust in justice. So, let me state here that I have no risk of fleeing.

Presiding Judge: Are there any other questions?

Prosecutor: Yes, Mr. President, I have one last question. Now, there is this 'yellows' issue, the Mayor already asked the question; the vehicle wrapping story. In this vehicle wrapping story, I think you wrapped the vehicle.

Ali Sukas: I rented it naked, we wrapped the vehicle ourselves.

Prosecutor: The 'yellows' allocated these vehicles to you in this way.

Ali Sukas: These vehicles are not the 'yellows', let me say that again first; the vehicles are not the 'yellows', they are from another firm. They were found and taken from another firm in their circle. We rented them in exchange for a fee. But ultimately, I could not pay their fee, that is what I want to explain.

Prosecutor: You say you did the wrapping; do you have an invoice for this?

Ali Sukas: I don't know, a lot of time has passed. I mean, in that election, I honestly say this sincerely, I was not interested in the election.

Prosecutor: Did they meet with your wife on that matter?

Ali Sukas: Not with my wife. There were friends who helped us at that time. Who they are now, which one did which job, it is impossible for me to remember. I mean, this was a process that developed very, very quickly anyway.

Prosecutor: Now, Mr. President, the last question; in Ümit Polat's statements, there were claims that Ali Sukas went to the IMM multiple times with Ahmet Sarı for Ağaç A.Ş. rental jobs to discuss these tenders. Later, he says the 'yellows' took this job with a single valid bid. Do you have any information about this tender, and how did the tender conclude?

Ali Sukas: Mr. Ümit knows that an e-tender was held. I mean, there is no chance for any outsider to intervene in an e-tender. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I am not on the commission. I mean, I cannot remove a document from there, the documents of others participating. I cannot tell a participant 'don't enter'. These are electronic tenders held over an electronic system open to everyone. This is what a tender is, I mean anyone who wants can enter. But let's say fifteen people downloaded the file, they can download it. Seven people participated in the tender; but there is one valid bid. I am not the one who confirms the validity of that bid either. The system says again: 'There are this many bids, among them, this is the only firm that meets the conditions.' Now, if I cancel that tender, the person will file a lawsuit, go and get their right and come back. Our processes will be disrupted. I mean, it is not possible for me, Ümit, or the tender commission chairman to intervene in those tenders, even if they wanted to.

Prosecutor: Well, even if it is not within the scope of the meeting, have you gone to the IMM together with Ahmet Sarı for such matters before?

Ali Sukas: No. I mean, it's that simple. There are reports consisting of hundreds of thousands of pages in the MASAK report, there are base records. I mean, wasn't this looked at? We went to the IMM with Ahmet Sarı a few times. But we went so that his accumulated receivables could be planned.

Prosecutor: Well, do you take other contractors with accumulated payments to the IMM in a similar way and have such meetings?

Ali Sukas: Ahmet Sarı's situation is different. Look, the figure of 1.3 billion is a very high figure; I mean, we are talking about someone whose receivables have exceeded one billion. It is not someone who has ten thousand, twenty million, or five million in receivables. Since it was a process that was beyond my ability to solve, beyond me, we went to the Department of Financial Affairs. I mean, when we go to the IMM, we don't go to Mayor Ekrem's chief of staff. At the IMM in Bakırköy, there is a Head of the Department of Financial Affairs, there is a Deputy Secretary General responsible for financial affairs. Since the payments come from them, we went to meet with them. I mean, 'How are we going to pay this?'... Otherwise, my entire operation, all services in Istanbul will stop. Because if those vehicles are not there, you have no chance to produce service. You cannot collect garbage, you cannot take the garbage you collect to the waste center, you cannot do irrigation with a tanker, you cannot dispatch and manage personnel. I mean, we are talking about such a structure. And we are talking about the receivables of a firm whose receivables have accumulated and which we have no chance of paying on our own. For this, naturally, you go, you talk to the interlocutors, you try to produce a solution. I may have gone once or twice, I have gone. Because there is a serious crisis, I mean, we are going to solve that crisis.

12.38 | THE HEARING WAS ADJOURNED

According to Halk TV, Sukas said in his defense, "There is no such organization, and I reject the accusation of membership. My dedication is to my homeland and my nation, not to an organization. Even the fact that there is no increase in my assets has been interpreted against me; this approach is contrary to logic and law. Where there is no evidence, it is not possible to speak of a crime. I have been in custody for about 10 months. I have not been in a structure established for the purpose of committing a crime; I have not been a member of any criminal organization. We are not aware of the criminal organization described in this indictment, we did not receive instructions, we did not give instructions. We did not engage in any activity with the organization that is claimed to exist. I have no doubt that I will be acquitted in the trial regarding the accusations made by the prosecution. I am sure that we will be remembered for the successes we have achieved and our love for service in historical trials as well. I request my release first, and then my acquittal." The hearing was adjourned for 1 hour. The hearing will continue with questions after the break.

"WE WANTED TO MAKE A PAYMENT"

Ağaç AŞ General Manager and detained defendant Ali Sukas said in his defense, "I will express it with all my sincerity, I have been attacked a lot from here. We had not made any preliminary preparations for my wife's election campaign in the 2023 elections, we were late. We needed small commercial vehicles to work in the election. I talked about this issue with Ahmet Sarı (business person). He said, 'We found 8-10'. We talked about the price. There was 1 month left until the election. He set a rental price of around 180-200 thousand for all of them for 1 month. We agreed. When we delivered the vehicles after the election, we wanted to make a payment, but he said, 'let this be our support to you, let it be our contribution'. I did not want to accept this. If Ahmet Sarı looks me in the eye and says 'I cannot get my receivables from Ağaç AŞ. That's why I had to give these', I am ready to serve this sentence. I am at peace with my conscience."

"I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT I WILL BE ACQUITTED"

Completing his defense, Sukas stated, "I do not accept the claim that I am a member of an organization. I do not accept the existence of such an organization either. The allegations are untrue and are slander directed at me by some people. There is no hierarchical relationship between me and Ekrem İmamoğlu. There is no claim that I showed dedication to a profit organization. There is not a single money transfer in the actions I am accused of in the file. I have no doubt that I will be acquitted in the trial regarding the accusations made by the prosecution. I am sure that we will be remembered for our love of service."

10.55 | THE HEARING STARTED WITH ALİ SUKAS'S DEFENSE

The court panel took its place. The 8th session of the IMM Trial began with the statements of Ali Sukas, whose defense was interrupted before the holiday. Ali Sukas is continuing his interrupted defense. Responding to the allegations of supplier Alaattin Vardar, Sukas said, "I met him after I took office at Ağaç AŞ. He has been working with Ağaç AŞ since the 2000s. There has never been a delay in his receivables." Regarding the confessing defendant Ümit Polat, Sukas said, "A friend of ours, giving in to his ambition, has been talking against me everywhere for a year." Regarding the list of firms presented by the secret witness, he said, "There is no such list of firms. We will present it to the file anyway."

Sukas argued that the evidence for the bribery allegation against him was the statements of business person Alaattin Vardar and HTS records. Sukas said, "The existing HTS records are from when I was at Ağaç AŞ. When supplier firms come to get their work done, there is nothing more natural than giving a common base." Sukas also said, "It is said that he gave the bribe at his own workplace. There is no base record there."

Claiming that there were distortions in Polat's statements due to the hostility against him, Sukas said, "All our tender files between 2019-2025 were examined by the prosecution. If the prosecution had made it easy and examined the documents instead of relying on Polat's statements, these would not have been necessary."

Responding to the claim of the confessing defendant Polat that the perpetrator of the attack he suffered was Ali Sukas, the Ağaç AŞ General Manager said, "This attack was made on me, not you. I said go and file a complaint. He says he didn't call me, I called him many times. It is incomprehensible that he holds a grudge."

10.39 | İMAMOĞLU ENTERED THE HALL

The hearing, which was supposed to start at 10.00, was delayed in the 8th session as well. IMM Mayor and CHP's Presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu arrived at the courtroom. İmamoğlu was greeted with applause by the audience.

10.20 | THE DETAINED ARE BEING BROUGHT TO THE HALL

The detainees are being brought to the courtroom for the eighth session of the trial. The hearing will begin with Ali Sukas's interrupted defense.

In today's session, it is expected that Ağaç A.Ş. General Manager Ali Sukas will complete his defense, which was interrupted last week. Afterward, lawyer statements and the cross-examination process will be conducted, and then it will move on to Altan Ertürk's defense. Throughout the week, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan and Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık will also appear before the judge to present their defenses.

THE REQUESTED SENTENCES ARE STRIKING

In the indictment, a prison sentence of 35 to 91 years is requested for Resul Emrah Şahan, and 30 to 88 years for Mehmet Murat Çalık. Both figures are expected to make comprehensive defenses.

On the other hand, it is foreseen that Murat Keleş, the nephew of IMM Sports Club President Fatih Keleş, will also testify this week.

HEARING HOURS EXTENDED

The court panel announced that the hearings, which were held between 10.00-16.00 during the month of Ramadan, will now last until 10.00-21.00/22.00. With this arrangement, it is aimed to complete the defenses of the detained defendants by the end of April.

News Source: 12punto