Necati Özkan responds to espionage investigation: 'I will share the details of this nonsense'

Political advisor Necati Özkan, who was arrested alongside journalist Merdan Yanardağ as part of an "espionage" investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, denied the accusations leveled against him in a statement made via his social media account.

"I WAS KEPT IN THE COLD AND WITHOUT WATER"

Necati Özkan described his experiences after being brought from Kandıra Prison to the Çağlayan Courthouse.

Özkan said, "I was taken from Kandıra Prison at 07:00 yesterday morning and brought to the Çağlayan Courthouse to give a statement in a nonsensical investigation opened based on the claims of a schizophrenic man. After being kept in the cold and without water in the detention cell on the -7th floor of Çağlayan for 5.5 hours, I was taken to give my statement to the prosecutor."

Necati Özkan stated that the basis of the accusations against him was "a business meeting," adding, "I ended my contact with the person I knew as a 'Turkish businessman,' who visited me just 12 days before the June 23, 2019 elections with the primary goal of selling a social media tracking system, after a very short time due to the mediocrity of the project he presented and the exorbitant price."

Özkan said, "It is irrational to be the subject of an espionage charge and ultimately be arrested based on such a brief acquaintance. It is impossible for me to accept the attacks and slanders directed at my 42-year-old spotless and honorable professional and private life."

"I WILL SHARE THE DETAILS OF THIS NONSENSE"

Özkan said that the accusations directed at him were "based on the contradictory statements of a madman." Stating that "the extent to which the defamation activities carried out with distorted information and alleged evidence against me are absurd and consist of lies will certainly emerge during the trial process," Özkan added, "As I become familiar with the contents of the file, I will share the details of this nonsense with the public. This conspiracy investigation will eventually take its place in the dusty pages of history as a document of shame."

HERE ARE THE LINES NECATİ ÖZKAN SHARED FROM HIS SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT:

I was taken from Kandıra Prison at 07:00 yesterday morning and brought to the Çağlayan Courthouse to give a statement in a nonsensical investigation opened based on the claims of a schizophrenic man.

After being kept in the cold and without water in the detention cell on the -7th floor of Çağlayan for 5.5 hours, I was taken to give my statement to the prosecutor. When the interrogation, which lasted for hours and contained more than 60 questions, ended, it was approaching 22:00.

 I answered each question in detail. I ended my contact with the person I knew as a “Turkish businessman,” who visited me just 12 days before the June 23, 2019 elections with the primary goal of selling a social media tracking system, after a very short time due to the mediocrity of the project he presented and the exorbitant price. It is irrational to be the subject of an espionage charge and ultimately be arrested based on such a brief acquaintance. 

 It is impossible for me to accept the attacks and slanders directed at my 42-year-old spotless and honorable professional and private life. 

 It is unfortunately tragicomic that I am facing an “espionage” charge based on the contradictory and unhealthy statements of a madman. 

The extent to which the defamation activities carried out with distorted information and alleged evidence against me are absurd and consist of lies will certainly emerge during the trial process. Until that time, I would like to emphasize the importance of respecting my right to the presumption of innocence.

As I become familiar with the contents of the file, I will share the details of this nonsense with the public. 

This conspiracy investigation, in which some ordinary, overt truths are constructed together with big lies, will eventually take its place in the dusty pages of history as a document of shame.

News Source: 12punto