Statement read on Onlartv: The invisible owner of İlbak Holding is Abdullah Gül

As the İBB trial continues, secret witnesses are also continuing to retract some of the statements included in the indictment.

While those accused in the case are presenting their defences, a text containing statements that were not included in the indictment but are highly striking was brought to light on Onlartv.

According to the statement of the secret witness in the İBB file, "The invisible owner of İlbak Holding is Abdullah Gül.

Former President Abdullah Gül is conducting all of his operations against Ekrem İmamoğlu at the municipality through Cüneyt Yakut and Murat İlbak..."

Ağırel read out the statement of secret witness Ceviz, which he obtained and which is contained in the supplementary documents folder of the İBB investigation:

"I have been engaged in commerce in Istanbul for many years. I would like to describe what I have witnessed regarding the bribery and irregularities that Ekrem İmamoğlu and a number of businessmen within his organisation have been involved in, both in Istanbul and outside Istanbul.

The true and invisible owner of İlbak Holding — which was detained and arrested within the scope of the file — is Abdullah Gül and his brother Macit Gül, who rapidly supported and grew this Holding over the last 15 years. Abdullah Gül sent Diyarbakır-native Cüneyt Yakut to Ekrem İmamoğlu on 27 June 2021 by arranging a private appointment. Cüneyt Yakut took İmamoğlu from his İBB office and brought him to the office of his own private architect, Gökhan Avcıoğlu. The reason for this relationship between them is that Cüneyt Yakut sold his share in a shopping mall he had built in Kyrgyzstan together with Mobiltel owner Aydın Mıstaçoğlu for 30,000,000 USD, and gave part of the capital he obtained to Murat İlbak and another part to his fellow Diyarbakır native Murat Kapkı, and began receiving a monthly income from these individuals. Therefore, Cüneyt Yakut is also one of the invisible minor partners of Murat İlbak and Murat Kapkı. Cüneyt Yakut had previously been involved in the advertising business and transferred all of the outdoor and metro advertising rights within TAV operations and Istanbul to Murat İlbak.

Likewise, the trio of Cüneyt Yakut, Murat İlbak, and Murat Kapkı, through their 20-year close relationship with Abdullah Gül, held continuous meetings with İmamoğlu and Murat Ongun from 2020 onwards and carried out illegal trade and fake invoice transactions. Most recently, Cüneyt Yakut, in order to have İmamoğlu grant a construction permit for a protected-area plot of land by the sea in Bodrum Torba — in which he is a partner with İlbak Holding — went to İmamoğlu on 27 June 2021 with Abdullah Gül's personal referral, had Bodrum Mayor Aras contacted, and obtained a construction permit for the protected-area land. The secret owners of the villas built on the plot, each valued at 12,000,000 USD, are Ekrem İmamoğlu, Murat İlbak, Yakut's fellow Diyarbakır native and İmamoğlu's adviser Murat Ongun, Murat Kapkı who defrauded the İBB, Cüneyt Yakut, and Abdullah Gül's brother Macit Gül. As far as I know, Cüneyt Yakut also sold one of these villas to a stockbroker, collected the money, and gave the proceeds to Murat İlbak."

"IT IS NOT IN THE INDICTMENT — OUR PROSECUTORS APPARENTLY DID NOT FIND IT VALUABLE"

After reading out the statement, Ağırel said: "This is currently the statement of secret witness Ceviz, contained in the supplementary documents folders of the İBB investigation. Is it in the indictment? No. Our prosecutors apparently did not find it valuable. Had they valued it, there might perhaps have been a detention order and so on regarding the President as well. The statements of the secret witness here were not taken seriously. This statement was given on 7 April 2025. Approximately 40 days after this statement, the İlbaks were released. Subsequently, the majority of the sections relating to the İlbaks were removed from the file. The losses of the İBB that are subject to the investigation amount to over 200 million TL. But the İlbaks are not in the file, or why are the Bacacıs not being investigated?"

İBB dosyasındaki gizli tanık ifadesi ortaya çıktı: "İlbak Holding'in görünmeyen patronu Abdullah Gül'dür.

Abdullah Gül, belediyedeki Ekrem İmamoğlu üzerindeki bütün operasyonlarını Cüneyt Yakut ve Murat İlbak üzerinden yapmaktadır..." pic.twitter.com/xvQPaqN0j2

— Onlar (@tvOnlar) July 2, 2026

News Source: 12punto