Özgür Özel calls out Gürlek at Arnavutköy rally: Lists revelations one by one

Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been continuing the rallies he has held since his imprisonment.

The 63rd "The Nation Stands Up for Its Will" rally took place in Arnavutköy, Istanbul.

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, who made a call before the rally to be held at Arnavutköy Republic Square, had announced that they would reveal a major scandal regarding Kanal Istanbul at this rally.

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL: THEY HAVE MARKETED THESE PLACES TO ARAB SHEIKHS

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel began his speech by greeting the people of Arnavutköy.

In his speech at the rally, Özel touched upon the subject of Kanal Istanbul. Özel said the following:

- "For the first time in the world, a government will have destroyed a dam with its own hands instead of building one.

- If Kanal Istanbul is built, Terkos Lake will become saline. One-third of the drinking water resources will disappear.

- That is why we say either the canal or Istanbul. Those who love Istanbul object to this canal."

Key statements from Özgür Özel's speech are as follows:

“-Note today's date! I am telling Tekin, our candidate, that you will win Arnavutköy. I know this district, these streets. Arnavutköy is a battered district. But at the same time, it is a place with a great heart and hope. It is Istanbul's youngest district. The average age is 29.5. But unfortunately, these young people are unemployed.”

-They have already marketed these places to Arab sheikhs. They want to build a canal view for the plots that those Arab sheikhs bought from here. If Kanal Istanbul is built, the Sazlıdere dam will disappear, Terkos Lake will become saline, and one-third of Istanbul's water will be gone. That is why we are against this project to the end. If Kanal Istanbul is built, Istanbul's population will increase by another 2 million. Those who love Istanbul oppose this canal. To cover up this project of betrayal or to make it look like they are doing something good, they say they are building social housing. They sell them for 5 million liras and call it 'social housing.' A minimum wage earner cannot buy an apartment from a place called social housing even if they do not spend their salary for 20 years.

-With this money, urban transformation could be carried out for 9.5 million households. There is an additional cost of 240 billion liras just from the IMM. Seeing what Kanal Istanbul does to the water basins, the valuable General Manager of İSKİ, Şafak Başa, went and sealed all those projects. What did they do? They went and took Şafak Başa from his home in the morning and put him in the Vatan Police Headquarters. Later, they placed him under house arrest so he could not interfere with Kanal Istanbul. They have been keeping him under house arrest for months. But we say it clearly from here: We are against this Kanal Istanbul, which the nation opposes, which will take our water, take our lake, and commit all kinds of nature massacres, to the end. We will never allow it.

-Last week I said we would explain the scandal in Arnavutköy! What is happening in Arnavutköy is such a scandal that they cannot finish telling it. Arnavutköy knows these, let Turkey hear! I am addressing the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor, who has no evidence despite working on an indictment for 10 months. Mr. Akın Gürlek, you are opening an investigation before we even get off the bus! Now give your order, listen, we will see what you will do for these four scandals!

THE ASPHALT IS THE SAME ASPHALT BUT...

“-The first act of the scandal in Arnavutköy: Municipalities in Istanbul went out to tender for asphalt for the year 2025. The tenders for asphalt made for the same year were completed with a price per ton. AK Party-run Bağcılar Municipality; the cost of a ton of asphalt is 3,553 TL. CHP-run Maltepe Municipality; 2,716 TL. CHP-run Tuzla Municipality; 2,669 TL. AK Party-run Arnavutköy Municipality; 6,501 TL. By God, we looked at the specifications, the asphalt is the same asphalt. Gold dust or something was not mixed into the asphalt laid in Arnavutköy. They bought the asphalt that the nation buys for 2,669 TL, or that their own AK Party-run Bağcılar buys for 3,553 TL, for 6,501 TL. It is not over, this business does not end with this. There is someone who gave a lower price to the tender. Even though the person who gave this price won the tender, they do not let them sign the contract for 1.5 months. They intimidate them, they pressure them to 'withdraw from the tender.' The one who gives the lowest bid is sidelined. Instead of the asphalt tender ending at 587 million liras in Arnavutköy, it goes to 708 million liras, which is the next bid. There is a public loss of 327 million liras in between. Now Akın Gürlek, it is not 'I had heard,' it is not 'I am thinking.' All documents are recorded on the Electronic Public Procurement Platform (EKAP). You have access, we have access. Also, I am not saying 'I had heard.' Kolon İnşaat, which won the tender, is the one forced to withdraw. Are you calling Kolon İnşaat tomorrow morning, are you asking? Are you requesting the asphalt tender files from this municipality? Are you opening an investigation into this municipality that buys asphalt for 6,500 liras? Are you playing deaf out of fear of Tayyip Erdoğan? Come on, let me see you. This is just one. The first act of the scandal...

GAVE PARCEL NUMBER TO GÜRLEK

-Let's come to the second, those who slander the honest, honorable, transparent municipalism of the Republican People's Party that conducts open tenders and call themselves AK municipalism. Now let's see. Let's see who is who. Kadıköy Yeşilbayır, do you know it? Write it down, write it down, I am giving the parcel number. Parcel 10835, an additional 320-meter closed area has been built here illegally. It became the subject of a complaint. It was said to demolish it. When this was said, when the court made a decision and notified its demolition, it was October 2024. A demolition and fine decision was made. The Gaziosmanpaşa Prosecutor's Office wrote a letter to Arnavutköy Municipality in June 2025. 'Did you demolish the illegal structure?' it asked. They wrote an answer. Who? Deputy Mayor Davut Paralı. 'The element causing zoning pollution has been removed.' Now I am telling Akın Gürlek from here. No demolition has been carried out on parcel 10835, a false letter has been written. There is interference with the judiciary, there is a false statement to the prosecutor's office, and the prosecutor has been deceived by an official letter. Are you taking Deputy Mayor Davut Paralı, who did not demolish the building you said to demolish and did not take action, and who deceived you with an official letter, from his home tomorrow morning? Are you playing deaf out of fear of Tayyip, we will see. It is not over yet.

FRAUD WITH A VIEW OF KANAL ISTANBUL!

-The third act of the scandal. It is getting more intense. Mayor Mustafa Candaroğlu. Council Member Ercan Döner. They bought a plot of land with a view of Kanal Istanbul, they said the 'Reis' (President) is traveling by helicopter, showing coupon plots. He says, 'I promised this plot to the Qataris, I promised this to the United Arab Emirates. This belongs to the Emir's sister, this to the Emir's wife,' while saying this, our Mayor Mustafa also said, 'Son Ercan, let's grab a plot too.' They grabbed a plot. They made a view for themselves according to Kanal Istanbul. They went and got the villa license for that place from the municipality. They started construction. While building the basement floor, the devil poked them. Ercan said, 'Mayor, let's raise this a little. Let our view be beautiful, let's see the Canal better.' They went and raised the villa in a way contrary to the zoning, it is still standing there now. Is it standing, Mr. Mayor? Do you know that? All the photos and videos are there. Then they went to the municipality. They said to the civil servant, you know there was Teoman, the civil servant whom Reza Zarrab could not bribe. He tries and tries, Teoman does not take it. They said, the names are correct names, to civil servant Serdar and civil servant Fatih at Arnavutköy Municipality. 'Sign this,' they said. They said, 'Mayor or municipal council member, but this signature burns a man. This is not right.' Just like Teoman who did not take bribes, Serdar and Fatih, who did not do the wrong thing, resisted this for months. What happened? Correct. Let's not get angry all the time. Let's give a heartfelt applause to Serdar and Fatih, the municipal council member and the civil servants Serdar and Fatih Bey. A heartfelt applause. And the mayor sent these two friends to another duty. He brought others in their place, he got the signatures. The villas are still standing there. Now I am calling out to Akın Gürlek from here. The villa is clear, its location is clear, all of Arnavutköy knows its photo, its video, everything. When we get off here, we will send all the photos to the press. The villa is standing there. Are you taking Mustafa Candaroğlu and Ercan Döner from their homes at 6:30 tomorrow morning? Or are you playing deaf? Come on, let's see. They think the field is empty, they think it is empty. They slandered us to the world, now they think I will give them comfort. Also, what did this villa-owning Mayor do to İmrahor Neighborhood? Before the election, he went and patted their backs, got their votes. 'Don't worry,' he said. 'This is your title deed land. Do whatever you want, give the vote to me, I will solve your business,' he said. Just one day before this, just yesterday, he sent a letter to the people of İmrahor, he sent a notification. He left them on the street. He even tried to demolish their houses that were built three or four months ago. While he is forcing signatures for his own villa, he is sending a demolition order instead of a regulation to İmrahor, even though he promised.

435 MILLION LAND GIFTED TO AK PARTY PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE FOR 250 MILLION!

“-Now the fourth act of the scandal. Hadımköy Industrial Site, during the Hadımköy Town Municipality period, they built a structure on an 8,000 square meter plot with Build-Operate-Transfer as Kelebek Printing House. A construction on an 8,000 square meter plot. When they closed the town municipalities, this Hadımköy Municipality was transferred to the town municipality Arnavutköy Municipality. Kelebek Printing House and the 8,000 square meter plot remained with them. In 2016, Arnavutköy Municipality sold both this 8,000 square meter place and that huge Kelebek Printing House. For how much? 251 million. To whom? To AK Party provincial executive Burak Aydın. Well, the value of the land is 215 million. The value of the structure on it is 220 million. Total value 435 million. Paid by the AK Party provincial chairman, 250 million. Public loss 185 million. The place is clear, the location is clear, Kelebek Printing House is there, the public loss is here. Now I am asking Akın, are you going to take AK Party provincial executive Burak Aydın, Mayor Mustafa Candaroğlu, and his entire team from their homes at 6:00 tomorrow morning, or are you playing deaf out of fear? Look, Mr. Akın, the one who sent him here is Mr. Tayyip. An indictment cannot be made with 'Let's take the children, let's take the drivers, sign it and reunite with your children, otherwise you will lie in prison for 20 years' and with 'I heard, -was, -had been.' In the first scandal, the price of the asphalt is clear, the loss is clear, the company forced to withdraw is clear, the documents are clear. In the second, the parcel number is clear, the demolition that was said to be 'done' even though it was not done is clear, the Deputy Mayor Davut Paralı who signed it is clear. In the third, the witnesses who did not sign the villa that the mayor raised himself are here. Those who signed are there. In the fourth, the AK Party provincial executive who grabbed Kelebek Printing House for free, the mayor who sold it are here, the public loss is here. Concrete, clear, net. Next Wednesday, we will look from the top of the bus. Did this Akın Gürlek start the necessary investigation, or did he play deaf? Let's see, challenge accepted. Challenge accepted.”

“Dear Arnavutköy residents, I said it at the beginning. We worked for 47 years, it didn't happen. It couldn't happen. We didn't look for the fault in you, we looked for it in ourselves. Finally, with young staff, by including many women among us, by talking about the problems of the country, by putting candidates like you in front of you, by standing behind them, we became the first party after 47 years in the March 31 elections. Just like the day the Republican People's Party was founded, just like the March 31st when it entered the election and won, today the Republican People's Party is Turkey's first party. Those who cannot cope with us, who do not compete, who cannot compete, do not trust their own Youth Branches, which they call AK Youth. In other words, the Arnavutköy youth branch is not a group that is the hope of the AK Party, of Mr. Tayyip, he does not trust them. He does not trust the Women's Branches. He does not trust the main staff. He has established a new branch that no other party has, he only trusts that one. He trusts the Judiciary Branches, the Judiciary Branches Chairman Akın Gürlek. And that is the 217th day since the March 19 coup. How they said 'You cannot come' there, in Saraçhane, for the first seven days, and we came. They tied up the ferries, they lifted the bridges, they stopped the subways, they did not let the buses in. But millions flowed to Saraçhane. They had also said for Arnavutköy, 'It is the fortress of the AK Party. No one will come, the square will be empty, you will be in a difficult situation.' I said to my Arnavutköy district chairman, to the management, to my provincial chairman. 'Arnavutköy is calling us, are we going?' Did you come? Now I was there today with Mayor Ekrem. I said 'I will go to Arnavutköy,' he said, long live 'My Chairman.' I said 'I will talk about Kanal Istanbul.' 'Explain, my Chairman.' I said 'I will announce Tekin's candidacy.' 'It suits you, my Chairman.' Now, let's show an Arnavutköy to both Mayor Ekrem and Ahmet Özer, who has been lying there for almost a year, to Rıza Akpolat, whose indictment was released yesterday after 10 months, to Zeydan Karalar who is a guest here from Adana, to Ceyhan, to Seyhan, to Mayor Oya and Utku Caner Çaykara, to our seven mayors who are inside from that indictment, and to all our mayors. They neither ate forbidden food nor took a life, those lying there are our heroes and our lions.

THE ASPHALT IS THE SAME ASPHALT BUT...

“The first act of the scandal in Arnavutköy: Municipalities in Istanbul went out to tender for asphalt for the year 2025. The tenders for asphalt made for the same year were completed with a price per ton. AK Party-run Bağcılar Municipality. The cost of a ton of asphalt; 3,553 TL. CHP-run Maltepe Municipality; 2,716 TL. CHP-run Tuzla Municipality; 2,669 TL. AK Party-run Arnavutköy Municipality; 6,501 TL. By God, we looked at the specifications, the asphalt is the same asphalt. Gold dust or something was not mixed into the asphalt laid in Arnavutköy. They bought the asphalt that the nation buys for 2,669 TL, or that their own AK Party-run Bağcılar buys for 3,553 TL, for 6,501 TL. It is not over, this business does not end with this. There is someone who gave a lower price to the tender. Even though the person who gave this price won the tender, they do not let them sign the contract for 1.5 months. They intimidate them, they pressure them to 'withdraw from the tender.' The one who gives the lowest bid is sidelined. Instead of the asphalt tender ending at 587 million liras in Arnavutköy, it goes to 708 million liras, which is the next bid. There is a public loss of 327 million liras in between. Now Akın Gürlek, it is not 'I had heard,' it is not 'I am thinking.' All documents are recorded on the Electronic Public Procurement Platform (EKAP). You have access, we have access. Also, I am not saying 'I had heard.' Kolon İnşaat, which won the tender, is the one forced to withdraw. Are you calling Kolon İnşaat tomorrow morning, are you asking? Are you requesting the asphalt tender files from this municipality? Are you opening an investigation into this municipality that buys asphalt for 6,500 liras? Are you playing deaf out of fear of Tayyip Erdoğan? Come on, let me see you. This is just one. The first act of the scandal...

Let's come to the second, those who slander the honest, honorable, transparent municipalism of the Republican People's Party that conducts open tenders and call themselves AK municipalism. Now let's see. Let's see who is who. Kadıköy Yeşilbayır, do you know it? Write it down, write it down, I am giving the parcel number. Parcel 10835, an additional 320-meter closed area has been built here illegally. It became the subject of a complaint. It was said to demolish it. When this was said, when the court made a decision and notified its demolition, it was October 2024. A demolition and fine decision was made. The Gaziosmanpaşa Prosecutor's Office wrote a letter to Arnavutköy Municipality in June 2025. 'Did you demolish the illegal structure?' it asked. They wrote an answer. Who? Deputy Mayor Davut Paralı. 'The element causing zoning pollution has been removed.' Now I am telling Akın Gürlek from here. No demolition has been carried out on parcel 10835, a false letter has been written. There is interference with the judiciary, there is a false statement to the prosecutor's office, and the prosecutor has been deceived by an official letter. Are you taking Deputy Mayor Davut Paralı, who did not demolish the building you said to demolish and did not take action, and who deceived you with an official letter, from his home tomorrow morning? Are you playing deaf out of fear of Tayyip, we will see. It is not over yet.

The third act of the scandal. It is getting more intense. Mayor Mustafa Candaroğlu. Council Member Ercan Döner. They bought a plot of land with a view of Kanal Istanbul, they said the 'Reis' (President) is traveling by helicopter, showing coupon plots.

EKREM İMAMOĞLU'S LETTER WAS READ

CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik read the letter sent by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu from Silivri.

İmamoğlu, touching upon the fact that the press and his family were not allowed into his court, said, "I say let the courts be broadcast live. They are after a few seconds of my image." The entirety of İmamoğlu's message is as follows:

“You have been in the squares with great faith since March 19. You are defending your rights as citizens against those who ignore the will of the nation. You are fighting tirelessly so that justice may be served for everyone and everywhere, and that the requirements of democracy may be fulfilled. Despite all kinds of oppression, pressure, and threats, you do not take a single step back. You are showing the right path to a government that has no branch left to hold onto and has become unable to give the nation anything other than crisis, poverty, and hopelessness. You are teaching a lesson in courage and dignity to those who have lost their reputation in order not to lose their seats. As brave soldiers of a glorious struggle, you are displaying a very strong will. I am proud of you. Thank you, long live.”

“WE ARE FACING THE DIRTIEST, MOST HEAVILY COSTLY POLITICAL OPERATION IN OUR DEMOCRACY HISTORY”

“My dear fellow citizens; we are facing the dirtiest, most heavily costly political operation in our democracy history. Those who try to shape politics through the judiciary and trustees, and to put the national will under pressure, want to turn our Republic, which is Atatürk's legacy and dearer to us than our lives, into a country managed by sham elections. Because of this mentality, my citizens wake up to a poorer, more insecure, more uncertain life every morning. They try to force everyone, every segment they see as an obstacle to their political calculations, to bow down with tyranny. A premeditated legal murder is being committed against me and my imprisoned friends. They are even trying to isolate me in a courtroom, where I should be tried without arrest. They cannot even tolerate the presence of my lawyers, the press, and my family in the courtroom. They do not act with legal principles and values such as fair trial and the right to defense. From the first day, they have been after a summary execution. Because neither the law is on their side nor the nation...

“THEY ARE COUNTING THE DAYS WITH THE FEAR OF ACCOUNTING TO THE NATION”

I say, 'Let the hearings be broadcast live, I want to be tried in front of my nation's eyes,' they are trying to hide even a few seconds of my image in the courtroom from the nation. See who is afraid of what and why. Those who are afraid of the nation, those who run away from the nation are imprisoned in their palaces, in their offices. As for me, I trust my nation, I always entrust myself to the conscience of the nation. That is why my cell in Silivri is as big as the love of nation and country within me, it is boundless. They are counting the days with the fear of accounting to the nation, while I am counting the days to walk with my head held high, with a clear conscience, everywhere in Istanbul and my country, and to be one with my nation. I am counting the days to serve again, to take action, to produce solutions.

“THERE IS ONE THING THEY FORGOT: WE ARE NOT ALONE”

My dear Arnavutköy residents know very well the enthusiasm and energy for work within me. You know very well the massive investments we have made for the solution of Arnavutköy's infrastructure problems; the Ahmet İsvan Public Bread Factory we opened, the life center, the nurseries, the libraries; the special support we gave to farmers, the opportunities we offered to low-income people. You know very well how I fought against that great project of betrayal they call Kanal Istanbul. Those who know that they cannot compete with us in action and service, and that they can never defeat us at the ballot box, think that they can get rid of us through the judiciary. There is one thing they forgot: We are not alone. We are not just us. We are the expression of this honorable nation's demand for justice and freedom. We are the expression of this dear nation's demand for peace and brotherhood, prosperity and abundance. We are the voice of the nation's common sense, common interests, and common values, not of one person, one party, or one segment. We will continue to stand tall, and the nation will take its destiny into its own hands. Turkey will be a country of justice and freedom, unity and brotherhood. I know and believe as I know that the sun will rise tomorrow: Everything will be very beautiful. Everything will be very beautiful. Ekrem İmamoğlu. Silivri Dungeon.”

News Source: 12punto