320 million lira attorney fee dispute in the İnan Kıraç case: That lawyer breaks his silence

Following medical reports, a court-appointed guardian was assigned to İnan Kıraç, one of Turkey's prominent businesspeople. Attorney Eşref Kaya from the Çorum Bar Association was hired for more than 30 cases in which Kıraç is a party. While Kaya's legal fee has become a matter of public debate, the guardians stated regarding the 128 million TL payment made, "This is only an advance."

"THE VALUE OF THE CASE IS 3.2 BILLION LIRA, MY FEE ENTITLEMENT IS 320 MILLION"

In a statement to T24, Attorney Eşref Kaya stated that the value of the case is 3 billion 198 million lira and that, in accordance with the Attorneyship Law, he has the right to receive a 10 percent fee, which amounts to 320 million lira. Kaya said that an advance of 128 million lira was paid to him within this scope, but that this money has not yet entered his pocket.

"Only the economic scale is being discussed. The 10 percent rate is the lower limit. 320 million lira is extremely reasonable according to the legal scale of this case. But it is being portrayed as if I haven't done any work."

"I HAVEN'T RECEIVED EVEN 1 TL, I AM COVERING THE EXPENSES OUT OF MY OWN POCKET"

Kaya stated that he has not received any payment for the legal process so far and that he has been covering all expenses out of his own pocket:

"I have been traveling to Istanbul for 2.5 months, and I am paying the expenses out of my own pocket. News is being made as if I have received large sums of money in a case where I haven't received 1 TL."

"İPEK KIRAÇ CAME WITH A SETTLEMENT OFFER"

Kaya alleged that İnan Kıraç's daughter, İpek Kıraç, made a "settlement" offer to him regarding some of the cases, but that they rejected this proposal for ethical reasons:

"After a guardian was appointed for İnan Kıraç, all previous powers of attorney became invalid. I was hired to conduct these cases. But we did not accept the offers made by his daughter. Because we are obligated to protect the interests of the ward, that is, İnan Kıraç."

"İNAN KIRAÇ'S ASSETS ARE BEING PLUNDERED"

Kaya claimed that some individuals are trying to seize Kıraç's assets. Targeting his wife Emine Alangoya and her close circle in particular, Kaya stated that 180 million TL was withdrawn from Kıraç's account:

"180 million lira was withdrawn from İnan Kıraç's account through the efforts of Alangoya's employees. We have filed a criminal complaint regarding this matter."

"THE MINIMUM ATTORNEY FEE SCHEDULE WAS APPLIED"

Kaya stated that the attorney agreement was prepared entirely within the legal framework and that a fee appropriate to the value of the case was determined in accordance with Article 164 of the Attorneyship Law:

"We agreed on 10 percent. This is the lower limit determined by the law. We did not determine the figure arbitrarily. The court approved it."

HSK HAS LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION, HE SAID "LET THE INSPECTOR COME"

Kaya welcomed the investigation launched by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) regarding the process and said that he requested an inspector.

"I WORKED DAY AND NIGHT, I DID NOT MISS THE HEARINGS"

Denying the allegations that he did not attend some hearings, Kaya stated that he worked until the early hours of the morning and took an active role at every stage.

RESPONSE TO THE CRITICISM "WHY WERE YOU APPOINTED FROM ÇORUM?"

Responding to the criticisms that arose due to his registration with the Çorum Bar Association, Kaya argued that the legal profession is now digital and that regional limitations no longer have any meaning:

"Last year I was with the Ankara Bar Association, now I am in Çorum. There are many lawyers from Ankara and Izmir who appear in cases in Istanbul. In the digital age, the legal profession is not limited by geography."

Kaya noted that other lawyers in his legal group handle the work in Çorum, while he only deals with major cases.