Investigation into Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality: Prosecution's referral document obtained

The investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into individuals including IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on charges of "managing a criminal organization," "membership in a criminal organization," "extortion," "bribery," "qualified fraud," "unlawful acquisition of personal data," and "rigging tenders" is ongoing.

In the referral document sent by the prosecution to the criminal judgeship of peace as part of the investigation, the names of the 36 suspects whose arrest was requested are listed as follows:

"IMM Deputy Secretary General Arif Gürkan Alpay, KİPTAŞ Chairman of the Board Ali Kurt, İSTAÇ Chairman of the Board Ziya Gökmen Togay, IMM Head of Road Maintenance and Infrastructure Coordination Department Seyfüllah Demirel, IMM Head of Rail Systems Department Ceyhun Avşar, IMM Head of Neighborhood Affairs Department Yavuz Saltık, IMM European Side Rail Systems Branch Manager Ahmet Önal, IMM European Side Road Maintenance and Repair Branch Manager Murat Er, IMM Deputy Rail Systems Branch Manager - Tender Commission Member Akif Gündüz, IMM Deputy European Side Road Maintenance and Repair Branch Manager Ekrem Yıldırım, IMM Deputy European Side Road Maintenance and Repair Branch Manager Burak Alp, IMM Deputy Rail Systems Branch Manager Osman Şahin, IMM Chief of Staff Kadriye Kasapoğlu, Ekrem İmamoğlu's security manager Mustafa Akın, company General Manager Abdussamet Baydar, businesswoman Nezahat Kurt, businesswoman Serpil Altıntaş, businessmen Yusuf Şahin, Sarp Yalçınkaya, Berat Çağrı Kapki, Murat Şeyhmus Sarıboğa, İlker Hamal, Seza Büyükçulha, Yapı Merkezi İnşaat owners Mustafa Başar Arıoğlu, Erdem Arıoğlu and Özge Arıoğlu, Yapı Merkezi İnş ve San AŞ civil engineer Mustafa Erkan Saatçi, accountant Murat Sinan Sepetçi, IMM civil servant and map engineer Yakup Öner's official driver Kamuran Ataç, Adem Soytekin's bodyguard Murat Erenler, accounting manager Murat Bıyık, employees Güngör Gürman, Altan Gözcü, Ogün Soytekin, Bülent Yılmaz and former Kültür AŞ Art Management employee Habibe İlknur Kaya."

The suspects for whom judicial control measures were requested are as follows:

"IMM computer operators Fadime Şimşek İpşir and Abdulbaki Yayla, IMM engineers Atilla Alkan, Burak Salman, Davut Şener, Mehmet Zeki Ertürk, Sezen Algedik and Ferhat Fazlıoğlu, IMM technician Hakan Kuk and Muhammet Burak Gönültaş."

CHARGES FILED

The prosecution's referral document describes the hierarchical structure.

The document states that the arrest of IMM Chief of Staff Kadriye Kasapoğlu and Ekrem İmamoğlu's security manager Mustafa Akın was requested for "destroying, concealing or altering evidence of a crime" and "membership in an organization established to commit crimes"; IMM Deputy Secretary General Arif Gürkan Alpay for "receiving bribes," "membership in an organization established to commit crimes," and "rigging tenders"; IMM Head of Neighborhood Affairs Department Yavuz Saltık for "membership in an organization established to commit crimes"; and KİPTAŞ Chairman of the Board Ali Kurt for "membership in an organization established to commit crimes," "receiving bribes," and "rigging tenders of public institutions or organizations."

The referral document stated that the arrest of other suspects was also requested for similar crimes.

INVESTIGATION

Action was taken after some irregularities were detected during inspections at İSTAÇ, KİPTAŞ, and the Road Maintenance Department as part of the investigation.

46 suspects, including KİPTAŞ Chairman of the Board Ali Kurt, İSTAÇ Chairman of the Board Ziya Gökmen Togay, IMM Head of Road Maintenance and Infrastructure Coordination Department Seyfullah Demirel, IMM Chief of Staff Kadriye Kasapoğlu, Ekrem İmamoğlu's security manager Mustafa Akın, IMM Head of Neighborhood Affairs Department Yavuz Saltık, and Yapı Merkezi İnşaat owners Mustafa Başar Arıoğlu, Erdem Arıoğlu, and Özge Arıoğlu, for whom detention warrants were issued, were taken into custody in simultaneous operations conducted by the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Investigation Branch in Istanbul, İzmir, Trabzon, Antalya, Tunceli, and Kocaeli.

The suspects, who were taken to the Istanbul Police Department's campus on Vatan Street, were referred to the courthouse after their procedures there.

Teams are continuing their efforts to apprehend 3 fugitive suspects.

On the other hand, Kadriye Kasapoğlu, one of the suspects previously detained as part of the same investigation, had been released under judicial control conditions.

News Source: 12punto