The third hearing of the case, in which 19 defendants, including suspended Mayor Tanju Özcan, are being tried—four of whom are in custody—as part of an investigation into the Bolu Municipality, began today.
In the case, where the public prosecutor has requested up to 217 years in prison and which has reached the decision stage, the court panel rejected Özcan's request to be physically present in the courtroom. The hearing, held by the Bolu 3rd High Criminal Court, took place in a special hall set up in the sports hall of the Bolu Social Sciences High School due to high attendance.
Tanju Özcan and the imprisoned Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can connected to the hearing via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) from the prisons where they are being held. The other defendants in custody, Ali Sarıyıldız and Mustafa Altındal, were present in the courtroom. During today's session, Özcan, along with the other defendants and their lawyers, presented their defenses against the public prosecutor's final opinion. Defendant Tanju Özcan began his defense against 6 separate incidents grouped under the headings of 'markets', 'licenses', 'sacrificial offerings', 'progress payments', 'concrete', and 'cafes'.
"The one making the claim must provide the proof"
The prosecutor's opinion stated that the BOLSEV Foundation organized a 'sacrificial offering' campaign via social media and billboards before the 2025 Eid al-Adha, and that a total of 845 thousand TL was deposited by 34 donors in exchange for 65 shares. The opinion alleged that the defendants' intention was not to slaughter the animals, that the collected money was not used for purchasing animals, and that the donors made payments under the impression that their sacrifices would be performed. Presenting his defense regarding the sacrificial offering incident, Özcan said, "I am being accused of a financial transaction. It is established that we did not gain a single penny for ourselves. I argue that this accusation is contrary to procedure and law. The prosecution characterizes the collection of sacrificial donations on behalf of BOLSEV and the failure to slaughter the animals with the collected money as fraud. My causal link to this incident is related to Ali Sarıyıldız's statements. Ali Sarıyıldız is confused. I did not call him about this matter. I spoke to him on the phone hundreds of times, but I definitely did not give him instructions on this subject. The one making the claim must provide the proof. The report does not say there is a crime, it says the money was not spent either," he said.
"You gave those statements and burned us, and you couldn't save yourself either"
"The 34 people who donated here are people we know. Why would we defraud these people? Among the 34 people, there is the brother of Ali Sarıyıldız, who is considered a victim, and my relatives. There is no issue that constitutes a crime in the concrete event. Therefore, there is no crime. I am calling out to my brother Ali again. Before it is too late, tell the truth when your turn comes. They made Ali give some statements under duress. You gave those statements and burned us, and you couldn't save yourself either. You are being tried with the same request for imprisonment as I am. Is there any fraud case in Turkey with no complainants? The elements of the crime of fraud are not present here. We are being tried when an acquittal should have been given," he said.
Tanju Özcan denied the accusations regarding the incidents referred to as "concrete", "progress payments", and "cafes". Arguing that he did not force anyone to buy concrete from the municipality, Özcan said their goal was to generate revenue for the municipality. Regarding progress payments, Özcan stated that the company official declared they were not forced to advertise and that there were no delays in payments. Stating that the advertising revenue was deposited into the foundation's account, Özcan argued that they did not gain personal benefit and requested his acquittal. Denying the bribery accusation regarding the cafe license, Özcan claimed there was no statement that he requested or received money, and said he had no connection to the incident.
"I will sit like a cat at home without getting involved in anything"
Presenting his defense against contractor Nazmi Güzel's license allegations, Özcan said, "We met at a wedding and he threatened me implicitly. 46 victims were heard among the witnesses and none of them filed a complaint. Nazmi Güzel has a personal grudge. If I hadn't called Abdullah Öcalan the head of terrorists, there would be no grudge between us. He says his work is being delayed, that I don't answer his calls. He is always making false statements.
I did not meet with Nazmi Güzel one-on-one. Will I prove that I asked for money, or will he prove that he gave money? He says a bargain was made, that I took a check for 1.5 million. Which part of it should we believe? He has many statements about money. Tuna Özcan says 'he asked for 2.5 million', he tells me something else. Which one should we believe?
He says 'petitions were not answered', which petition of yours was not answered? I never talked to him about money. There is the issue of 1 million TL. I have no knowledge of this money. I want to be released. I want to ask for my son's hand in marriage. I will sit like a cat at home without getting involved in anything. Let them release Öcalan if they want, let them fill the country with refugees if they want, I don't care. I will sit in my home like a cat without getting involved in anything," he said.
News Source: 12punto
