Beşiktaş Mayor Akpolat's defense draws attention: They said, 'If you speak against the party convention, we will clear your file'

The 6th day of the mass trial held at the Marmara Prison in Istanbul, known in the public eye as the "Aziz İhsan Aktaş Criminal Organization Case," has come to an end. The court continued to hear the defenses of the defendants, the majority of whom are mayors. The four-hour defense delivered by Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat throughout the day left a significant mark on the session.

Regarding the accusations brought against him, Rıza Akpolat defended himself by stating, "There is no allegation I cannot answer, and no slander I cannot refute." The file contains serious charges such as "leading a criminal organization," "forgery of official documents," and "laundering assets derived from crime," with a prison sentence of up to 415 years requested for Akpolat.

DETAILS OF THE HEARING AND DEFENSES

In the first part of the hearing, Kazım Gökhan Yankılıç, the brother of Akpolat's wife Yeşim Akpolat, took the floor. Yankılıç denied the accusations regarding apartment purchases and money traffic mentioned in the allegations. Stating that all transactions were conducted within a legal framework and were recorded, Yankılıç noted that his financial situation came from family savings and that there were no cash payments or secret actions. Adding that his family had been severely traumatized during this process, he painted an emotional picture, saying, "During the process we went through, my wife had a miscarriage; we lost our child."

Following Yankılıç, Akpolat's official driver, Mehmet Ataş, took the floor and explained that all tasks assigned to him were within the framework of the institutional hierarchy and that he had no personal initiative. Ataş said, "The money transferred to my account was in line with Mr. Rıza's knowledge and instructions. I do not know for what purpose they were used. I carried out all the instructions given to me." He also emphasized that the transactions in question were not conducted secretly. Furthermore, stating that the money he received in cash might have been considered 'off the books,' Ataş said he absolutely did not accept the allegations of being a supervisor.

Another defendant, Rabil Artan, explained that he and Rıza Akpolat, who are childhood friends, have a long-standing family friendship and responded to the allegations regarding his assets. Artan made his defense by saying, "We used each other's houses and vehicles; all of this existed even before the mayoralty."

STRIKING RESPONSES FROM AKPOLAT TO THE ALLEGATIONS

In the second part of the hearing, Rıza Akpolat delivered a detailed defense. Stating that there are pages of allegations against him in the indictment, Akpolat claimed that he and his colleagues have been treated as guilty throughout the process. Akpolat said, "I was detained in front of my 75-year-old sick father's eyes, and I have been treated as a criminal from the very first day. They took me on the same bus, side by side, with Aziz İhsan Aktaş, who was declared the leader of a criminal organization."

He argued that there is no evidence for the accusations and that despite nearly half of the indictment being about him, no concrete evidence of a crime could be found. He maintained that the lawlessness they have experienced for a year was created through the secret statements and threats of informants. Akpolat said, "They also told me, 'Speak about the CHP Convention, become an informant. We will clear the Beşiktaş file,'" and explained that he rejected these offers. He emphasized that he is a mayor elected by the will of the people of Beşiktaş and therefore acts with a sense of social responsibility.

Stating that threats and pressure lie behind the fact that defendants Aziz İhsan Aktaş and Mustafa Mutlu became informants, Akpolat expressed that they were forced to choose this path due to their concordat requests not being met and various other pressures. Akpolat also alleged that others were forced to testify similarly by being threatened with their assets and families.

AKPOLAT: "The only reason for what has been done to us is that our party became the leading party in the first election"

Claiming that the treatment they faced had a political dimension, Akpolat stated that the main reason they were targeted was that their party rose to the position of the leading party in the eyes of the public in the last election. He said that the demand for social change they led disturbed certain circles. Stating that the scales of justice have lost their balance and the presumption of innocence has been ignored, he demanded the release of both himself and his detained friends.

At the end of his defense, Akpolat's inclusion of the lines from Hasan Hüseyin Korkmazgil, "We are sown as seeds, we come as harvest; we are crushed, we come as flour; one goes, a thousand come; is killing me a salvation?" created a profound impact in the courtroom.

HEARING TO CONTINUE, PROSECUTOR'S OPINION TOMORROW

At the end of the day, the hearing was adjourned. The court panel announced that the prosecutor would present their interim opinion the following morning. Afterward, the statements of the detained defendants' lawyers will be heard. The defenses of the non-detained defendants will begin to be heard next week.

So far, the statements of 28 detained defendants have been taken, and the remaining individuals are expected to present their defenses shortly. The court panel plans to make an interim decision regarding the detention status of the defendants at the end of the week.

While the course of the trial and the defenses of the defendants are being closely followed by the public, the prosecutor's opinion to be announced tomorrow carries great importance.

News Source: 12punto