The first hearing of the case involving former Habertürk TV Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Akif Ersoy and 7 other defendants was held at the Istanbul 19th High Criminal Court. Ersoy, who has been in custody for approximately 9 months, faces charges of "establishing and managing a criminal organization," "qualified sexual assault," "trading or providing narcotic or stimulant substances," and "facilitating the use of narcotic substances."
The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence for Ersoy ranging from 11 years and 3 months to 286 years and 2 months. The initial indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had been returned by the court, and the first hearing was scheduled for September 10 following the acceptance of the revised indictment.
REQUEST FOR CLOSED HEARING
As reported by Cumhuriyet, Ersoy's lawyer applied to the court before the hearing to have the proceedings held in private. The request argued that an open hearing could harm the privacy of the parties involved and pose a risk to public order. The presiding judge initially decided to hold the hearing behind closed doors.
The decision to exclude members of the press and the public from the courtroom was reversed about an hour later. Access to the hearing was opened, but only a limited number of journalists were allowed inside due to the limited capacity of the courtroom. The hearing was briefly adjourned due to audio issues with the SEGBİS connection.
VICTIM TESTIMONIES HEARD
Five of the defendants were present in the courtroom during the hearing, while 3 defendants participated via SEGBİS. In the session that began at 13:00, the statements of those listed as "victims" in the file were heard first.
M.A.Ö. claimed that she met Ersoy through Nurullah Mahmut Dündar and that she was offered "group sex and drug use" during meetings she attended for job interviews. M.A.Ö. stated that she was complaining about being invited to such an environment under the guise of a job offer, but that she was not complaining about sexual assault or forced drug use.
D.O. stated that she had a relationship with Ersoy of her own free will and was not under the influence of drugs. D.O., who noted that she saw drugs being used in a house but that no one was forced to use them, also did not file a complaint.
B.A. explained that she met the other individuals through Ahmet Göçmez, and that she used alcohol and drugs at a gathering but did not see who brought the drugs. Stating that her relationship with Ersoy was consensual, B.A. noted that she was not forced to use drugs and did not file a complaint.
"THERE WAS NO COERCION, I HAVE NO COMPLAINT"
D.Y., who was heard during the hearing, said, "My statement to the prosecutor's office is valid. Whatever I said in my statement is true. There was no coercion. I have no complaint." E.T. and E.G. also stated that they did not file complaints and did not wish to join the case as plaintiffs.
M.A.'s lawyer, Hüseyin Ersöz, argued that the incident subject to the charges "never occurred at all," despite his client being listed as a victim in the indictment, and announced that they were withdrawing their request to join the case. Ersöz claimed that the inclusion of their clients in the indictment was based on the "untrue and slanderous" statements of the secret witness "Tanca" and R.K.
G.A., who connected to the hearing via SEGBİS, also said that she did not file a complaint and did not wish to join the file. Thus, all 11 victims mentioned in the indictment were heard. None of the victims filed complaints regarding the allegations of sexual assault and forced drug use.
News Source: 12punto
