The ‘My dear sir’ dialogue had become a hot topic: The presiding judge of the Sinan Ateş and ABK trials is now a prosecutor

The summer decree of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) regarding judicial and administrative jurisdiction was published yesterday. Within the scope of the decree, the duty stations of a total of 4,036 judges and prosecutors were changed, including 3,698 from the judicial judiciary and 338 from the administrative judiciary.

According to the report by Cumhuriyet, one of the names whose duty station changed in this context was Mehmet Güven, President of the Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court, who presided over both the Sinan Ateş murder case and the Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal organization case. Güven will now serve as a Prosecutor at the Ankara Regional Court of Justice.

HE HAD DRAWN REACTION WITH HIS WORDS ‘IT MAY BE IMPORTANT TO YOU’

Tensions rose in the courtroom during the hearing on July 2, 2024, regarding the Sinan Ateş murder. Following the tension, MYP Chairman Remzi Çayır directed loud criticisms at the presiding judge, and Güven responded to the reactions by saying, “Since you have taken such ownership of the case, you go out too.” Güven, who also issued warnings to lawyers in the same hearing, made a statement that was widely discussed: “You may think the questions you ask are important. You may think they will affect the case, but I am the one who will make the decision on behalf of the judiciary.”

THE ‘MY DEAR SIR’ DIALOGUE WITH THE DEFENDANT HAD CREATED CONTROVERSY

During the hearing on April 16, 2024, in the case where Ayhan Bora Kaplan was being tried, Kaplan’s response to Güven as “My dear sir” was reflected in the press and drew intense reaction. Kaplan apologized at the hearing on May 23, stating that this expression had slipped out by mistake. Güven responded to this explanation by saying, “We understand who is saying what. If we understood it to be insolence, we would do what is necessary.”

SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS FROM THE SECRET WITNESS

In the Kaplan case, the allegations of the fugitive secret witness known by the code name “M7,” Serdar Sertçelik, also drew attention. In a video he published on social media before the hearing on May 21, 2024, Sertçelik claimed that Presiding Judge Güven was acting in coordination with certain police officials serving in the Organized Crime Control Branch. Sertçelik’s words, “Whatever is said at the police station, the court makes a decision in that direction. I am not returning to Turkey because there is no fair trial environment,” resonated with the public.

WHATSAPP CORRESPONDENCE HAD EMERGED

WhatsApp correspondence evaluated by the Ankara 13th Civil Court of First Instance was also among the elements affecting the course of the case. The correspondence contained traces suggesting that Mehmet Güven was collecting evidence in cooperation with police units against the defendants being tried in the case. In the records, it was seen that the writs were first forwarded to the police via WhatsApp and then sent through official channels. The same correspondence also included information that Ankara Deputy Police Chief Murat Çelik had allocated a vehicle to Güven.

Some of the conversations were as follows:

Demircan: “Our director was going to send a vehicle to you, Mr. President. Do you have an order regarding this matter?”

Güven: “Friends called my bodyguard in the evening. A vehicle was to be allocated from the transport branch. I said okay. Please convey my thanks to the director, may he be well.”

Demircan: “Thank you, Mr. President. Our Deputy Provincial Police Chief Murat Çelik also sends you his best regards. We want to visit you as soon as possible.”

Güven: “I hope we meet. I would like that too. Convey my regards to each of them separately. May God make it easy, may He protect you all.”

REQUESTS FOR RECUSAL WERE REJECTED

Following all these developments, the defense lawyers requested the recusal of the presiding judge, but these requests were not accepted by the judiciary. On the other hand, it was announced with the HSK decree that the duty stations of the chief prosecutors of 24 provinces across Turkey were also changed.

News Source: 12punto