Striking remarks by Aziz İhsan Aktaş in İnan Güney's court testimony! 'When he realized he couldn't get the contract...'

As part of an investigation conducted into CHP-run municipalities, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had issued detention warrants for 44 people. Among those detained was Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney.

Within the framework of this investigation, 17 people, including Güney, were arrested on charges of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations" and "membership in an organization." While judicial control measures including a signature requirement and a travel ban were imposed on 3 people, 24 others were released with only a travel ban.

The statements made by İnan Güney before the judge drew attention.

"İNAN GÜNEY HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF ONLY ONE ORGANIZATION SINCE THE AGE OF 16"

"I repeat my previous statements exactly as they were. I greet you and your panel with the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk written on the back wall: 'Justice is the foundation of the state.'

I categorically reject the charge of membership in a criminal organization. İnan Güney has been a member of only one organization since the age of 16; that is the Republican People's Party (CHP), where I engage in politics with honor, pride, and my head held high. I am a well-known person in society, in my district, and in Istanbul politics. Therefore, I would like to state that I categorically reject the accusations attributed to us.

The HTS records and financial reports allegedly included in the referral document were, as my lawyers have also stated, never asked of us during either the police or prosecutor's interrogation. I believe that a decision made without being given the opportunity to defend ourselves against these matters, the content of which we do not know, will wound the public conscience."

"I WAS DETAINED BECAUSE I DID NOT GIVE WORK TO AZIZ İHSAN AKTAŞ"

"We see that my colleagues are under arrest because work was done in some municipalities for the Aziz İhsan Aktaş organization. Today, I am standing before you, having been detained because I did not give work to Aziz İhsan Aktaş.

To summarize briefly, when I was elected Mayor of Beyoğlu, a person named Mustafa Mutlu was directed to me by Beşiktaş Deputy Mayor Ali Can Abacı to provide me with legal consultancy. I understood from his persistence that the true purpose of Mustafa Mutlu, with whom I worked for about two months, was not legal consultancy but to get work for Aziz İhsan Aktaş. After learning that he had lied to the existing firm during the vehicle tender by saying, 'Mayor İnan does not want you to enter the tender,' I had his office at the municipality opened by a locksmith, packed his personal belongings, and removed him from the municipality."

"HE STARTED TO HARBOR HOSTILITY TOWARD ME"

"Upon my dismissal of Mustafa Mutlu, Ali Can Abacı, who realized that Aziz İhsan Aktaş would not be able to get work from Beyoğlu, began to harbor hostility toward me. Therefore, we see that the people slandering us are Ali Can Abacı, Mustafa Mutlu, and Aziz İhsan Aktaş.

Furthermore, Murat Kapki, who also slandered me, came to my office with Ali Can Abacı during my tenure as Chairman of the Board of BELTAŞ and requested that he be given work. However, Murat Kapki did not receive any work from BELTAŞ during my tenure.

Another slanderer, Durmuş Yıldırım, was directed to me by Ali Can Abacı to arrange tickets for trips after I became Mayor. Later, we learned that this person had been fired from Turkish Airlines (THY) due to schizophrenic behavior and that he was actually an employee, not an agency owner."

"THEY TRIED TO GET A FAVORABLE RESULT BY SLANDERING"

"When all these relationships are examined, it is seen that Ali Can Abacı, out of resentment for not being able to get work from BELTAŞ and the Beyoğlu Municipality, directed slanders at me through Mustafa Mutlu, Aziz İhsan Aktaş, Murat Kapki, and Durmuş Yıldırım. Considering that the aforementioned slanderers are under arrest, it is understood that they tried to get a favorable result by slandering me in order to end their own detention.

Another allegation is that I had companies established on behalf of my relatives. However, I have only two companies with a 25-year history in which I am a partner with my brother. Other than that, I neither had companies established on behalf of my relatives nor did I enter into any official/unofficial partnership."

"THE ALLEGATION THAT I HAD WORK GIVEN TO İSMAİL AKKAYA IS ALSO NOT TRUE"

"The allegation that I had work given to İsmail Akkaya is also not true. Due to the economic difficulties experienced during the pandemic, the majority of tradespeople did not want to sell goods to municipalities. For this reason, a limited amount of work was given to him because he provided the most appropriate offer among those received. However, these purchases were limited to 5-6 times within the first 1-1.5 years, and no purchases have been made in the last 3 years.

My acquaintance with Kaan Sürmegöz was also shown as one of the reasons for the arrest. Between 2019 and 2024, I had one meeting with him as an IMM Council Member to resolve ecrimisil (damages for unauthorized occupation) requests coming from citizens. I have had no meetings or interests regarding outdoor advertising spaces.

During my tenure, no billboards were rented out at the Beyoğlu Municipality; the billboards were used for public purposes. I did not direct work to Serkan Öztürk or any other person, nor did I act as an intermediary. At BELTAŞ, I always worked with firms that met legal requirements and provided the most reasonable prices. In addition, in the billboard rentals I made during my term, I included an ownership rights clause in the contract, ensuring that BELTAŞ became the owner of the billboards. Thus, the institution made a significant profit, and a strong infrastructure was left for the next term."

"WE COLLECTED RENTS IN FULL FOR 8-9 MONTHS"

"While it was possible not to collect rent during the pandemic period with a Presidential decree, we collected rents in full for 8-9 months. If I had expectations of profit from the sector, I would have chosen not to collect the rents by citing the decree as a basis.

At the end of my term, I proudly handed over BELTAŞ as an institution that had no tax or SGK debts, paid corporate tax, made a profit, and had acquired new social facilities.

After becoming the Mayor of Beyoğlu, I used my own personal vehicle as an official car, and I covered the fuel and maintenance costs myself. Furthermore, with the savings made in favor of the municipality, works that the previous administration had done at high costs were carried out at much lower prices."

"THE ARREST DECISION WILL BE PUNISHING THE PEOPLE OF BEYOĞLU"

"I am the elected mayor of Beyoğlu. A possible arrest decision to be made here will be punishing not only me but all the people of Beyoğlu, whether they voted for me or not. For this reason, I request to be released so that my social duty is not interrupted.

I have been in trade all my life, and I am someone who has never paid his taxes late, not even for a single day. I am a father of three daughters, a person who loves his family and is loyal to his party and his comrades. It is clear that I have no suspicion of flight, as someone who has lived on the same streets for 47 years, gets shaved at the same barber, and is known in every street of Beyoğlu. Therefore, in the most pessimistic scenario, I request my release by applying judicial control measures."

News Source: 12punto