Second hearing held in Ankara Metropolitan Municipality concert case

The hearing, held at the Ankara 34th High Criminal Court, was attended by detained defendants Hacı Ali Bozkurt, former Head of the ABB Culture and Social Affairs Department; Selahattin Çelikkaya, owner of Festiva and Enfest Organization; Onur Evren, owner of Evren Teknik Grup Music Organization; as well as non-detained defendants Haluk Erdemir, former Acting Branch Manager of ABB Cultural Events; Hüseyin Zehir, former Acting Head of the ABB Culture and Social Affairs Department; Sıla Evren, owner of Universe Production; Kaan Alp, partner at Festiva and Enfest Organization; Celal Akbaş, an ABB employee; Arda Akman, owner of Gurudan Tourism Organization; Eren Demir, owner of Yalınayak Food Organization; Kurtuluş Bakır, an ABB employee; Levent Erdoğan, partner at Yalınayak Food Organization; and Üstün Alpay, owner of Craft Art Organization, along with their lawyers. The presiding judge stated that witnesses would be heard during this session.

"It was impossible for even the smallest change to be made within the institution without Uzunoğlu's knowledge"

Witness C.T., who stated that they were involved in concert organization at the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB), said, "As of 2024, there were significant increases in concert fees, and this situation was being criticized by broad segments of the public. Complaints that the prices were exorbitant were being voiced in particular. I was conveying this feedback to the defendants Hacı Ali Bozkurt and Haluk Erdemir, as well as to Nevzat Uzunoğlu. It was impossible for even the smallest change to be made within the institution without Uzunoğlu's knowledge," they said.

Witness F.K. stated that they had been assigned to the ABB through an affiliate company since the 2019 elections and had worked with three department heads, adding, "After Hacı Ali Bozkurt retired, I also left the job. We had a relationship that was almost like father and daughter. Even though our professional relationship has ended, I respect him; however, unfortunately, we did not part on good terms; there was an argument between us. The process began with some disagreements I had with Mr. Selahattin. I conveyed this situation to the department head several times. We made peace from time to time, but I thought Mr. Selahattin had an egoistic attitude. On the day Ali retired, I said I wanted to leave, and he told me, 'Go, my dear brother/sister, from here.' We said goodbye by saying 'May your path be clear.' After being assigned to the Mamak Family Department, I was dismissed without any justification and sent to the Sincan Rehabilitation House, which is quite far from my home," they said.

"I think the events increased during this period due to Ali's desire to increase cultural activities"

Witness F.K., who stated that concert organizations were carried out intensively during their tenure, said, "In the normal workflow, artists were determined through companies. Because Ali had experience in this field, I thought he was managing the process effectively. Since I was not present at the meetings, I am not privy to the details of the process; however, I know that Mr. Selahattin met with Ali frequently. I did not witness the content of these meetings. Because I had a good relationship with Ali Bozkurt, we would chat from time to time, and I would hear some names from him. During the terms of the two department heads I worked with before, no special concerts were organized. I think the events increased during this period due to Ali's background at TRT and his desire to increase cultural activities," they stated.

Witness F.K., who said that rumors about the tenders had spread in the public and that they had heard some employees were hesitant to sign due to the high prices, said, "I also know that in recent times, the relationship between Osman Cem Taşbaş and Hacı Ali had soured, again due to the high prices; however, these are things I heard. We had a friend who worked as field staff at the Cultural Events Branch Directorate. One day, while going to the municipality, they said they got into Mr. Onur's car because they couldn't find a vehicle. They claimed that they were there for an hour and that this watch would be given to Ali, and they spread this around. Later, this person was sent to another directorate. About two months had passed. Ali said that his office had been entered without permission. I and a few others had the key to the room; our duty was to tidy the room. While tidying the room, I saw a Rolex bag. I only saw the bag for the watch. I took a photo of this bag to show it to Osman Cem Taşbaş, whom I was talking to on the phone at the time. However, I definitely did not share this image on social media," they said.

Following the statements of the lawyers, the prosecutor announced their opinion. The prosecutor, who requested the continuation of the detention of the detained defendants, announced an opinion for the witness to be brought by force.

The court then announced its interim decision, evaluating the time the defendants had spent in detention, the fact that evidence had been collected, the witnesses had been heard, the defenses had been taken, and the possibility of pressure on witnesses had been eliminated. The court decided to release the defendants with judicial control measures, citing that there was no possibility of flight or tampering with evidence, that detention would no longer serve its purpose at this stage, and that it would be contrary to the principle of proportionality. The court also decided to continue judicial control measures for the other defendants and to await the expert report, adjourning the hearing to July 7.

Background of the incident

The indictment prepared by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office included a total of 14 people as suspects, including ABB Head of Culture and Social Affairs Department Hacı Ali Bozkurt, former municipal employees Haluk Erdemir and Selahattin Çelikkaya, and some private company executives. The indictment, based on the report of the Ministry of Interior's Civil Inspection Board, stated that the municipality used Article 22/b of the Public Procurement Law No. 4734 improperly to carry out concert service procurements through the "single source procurement" method, and that the municipality was caused a loss in this way. The report of the civil inspectors dated January 31, 2025, explained that concert organizations were carried out through companies determined in violation of the legislation, that no market price research was conducted, and that some concert prices were determined to be "well above market values." The indictment stated that the suspects "committed the crime of embezzlement by using the resources of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality in a way contrary to public interest."

In the indictment, prison sentences of up to 31 years and 6 months each were requested for the defendants, former Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Head of Culture and Social Affairs Department Hacı Ali Bozkurt, former Acting Cultural Events Branch Manager and Acting Department Head Haluk Erdemir, former Acting Head of Culture and Social Affairs Department Hüseyin Zehir, owner of Evren Teknik Grup Music Organization Company Onur Evren, partner of Festiva and Enfest Organization Company Selahattin Çelikkaya, owner of Universe Production Company Sıla Evren, partner of Festiva and Enfest Organization Kaan Alp, and ABB employee Celal Akbaş, on the grounds that they committed their actions within the scope of a decision to commit a crime on different dates, for the crime of "chain-linked qualified embezzlement."

News Source: İHA