Süleymancılar investigation: Testimony of İdris Naim Şahin, released under judicial control, has emerged

Former Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin, who was summoned to testify as part of the "Alihan Kuriş criminal organization" investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, was referred to the duty magistrate judge with a request for judicial control following his statement to the prosecutor.

The court decided to release Şahin on the condition that he be subject to a travel ban. It was learned that Şahin was brought before the court with a request for judicial control on charges of "knowingly and willingly aiding the organization" and "harboring a criminal" as part of the investigation.

WHAT DID HE SAY IN HIS TESTIMONY?

It was stated that Şahin did not accept the accusations in his prosecutor's testimony. Stating that he did not know Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and Erhan Yılmaz, Şahin argued that the vehicle allegedly used in the attempt to smuggle Hilmi Tuna Kuriş abroad was allocated to his name, but that he last used the vehicle in June.

Regarding the vehicle in question, Şahin stated that he knew Melih Özmen, that he rented the vehicle from Özmen's company, and that the license plate was allocated to his name. He said that he used the vehicle himself when he went to Istanbul, and that the vehicle was with the company owner at other times. He also noted that he had issued warnings to ensure that the vehicles allocated to his name were not used for purposes other than those intended.

In his testimony, when asked about the allegations regarding Süleyman Hilmi Kalcı, Şahin said he knew Kalcı and was aware that he lived in Belarus. However, he stated that he had no connection to the allegations of prostitution rings, blackmail, and the steering of public tenders mentioned in the report.

"I served as minister between July 2011 and 2013. I had no knowledge or hearsay regarding the report. I know Süleyman Hilmi Kalcı, who is mentioned in the report; he lives in Belarus. He has a mobile phone shop there. I know he has connections with the country's politicians in Belarus. I do not know if he uses the name 'Alex' there. I had contact with Süleyman Hilmi Kalcı between 2011 and 2019. I last spoke with him in 2019. I do not know that he brought women from Belarus and engaged in prostitution. I have no connection to this matter whatsoever."

Şahin also conveyed that he had information that Mehmet Özmen had studied in the past at the courses of the religious community linked to the Kuriş organization. He stated that after the operations, he saw news in the press about some people gathering, and upon this, he called his former advisor Ömür Yücel and asked him to warn Özmen not to participate in the protests.

Denying the allegations directed at him by his former advisor Ömür Yücel in his testimony, Şahin argued that he did not help Belarusian individuals enter Turkey and did not give any instructions in this regard. Şahin said, "Although he stated in his testimony that he performed these actions with my knowledge, I absolutely have no knowledge or information about them. I heard these for the first time just now. I have no hostility toward Ömür Yücel. I do not understand why he testified against me. I have had no communication with Süleyman Hilmi Kalcı since 2019. I could not understand why Ömür Yücel made a statement claiming that I had communication with the person. I do not know the communication between the two."

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In the "Alihan Kuriş criminal organization" investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was determined that one of the vehicles identified as being allocated to Şahin's name was used in the attempt to smuggle the detained Hilmi Tuna Kuriş abroad.

As part of the investigation, two vehicles allocated to Şahin's name were taken under examination, and after it was determined that the vehicles were used by the organization, Şahin was summoned to the courthouse to give his testimony.

News Source: 12punto