Another person benefits from effective remorse in IMM operations: 'If you don't pay the money, you can't get what you're owed'

Detention orders were issued for a total of 254 people with the fifth wave of operations in the investigations launched against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). 

A total of 132 people were arrested, including İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, some CHP mayors, municipal bureaucrats, employees and businesspeople. During this process, 19 people were released after benefiting from “effective repentance” provisions.

Businessperson Ahmet Sari, the owner of Sarılar İnşaat and one of those released, made serious allegations in his statement that could change the course of the investigation.

"THEY USED THE ROOM AT İBB AND OBTAINED THE DOCUMENTS"

According to information reported by Sabah newspaper, Sari alleged in his statement that a room on the 5th floor of the İBB Additional Service Building in Bakırköy was used during the process in the 2019 local elections, which Ekrem İmamoğlu won and which was then annulled. Sari said the room in question was located right next to the office of then Deputy Secretary General Ertan Yıldız, adding, “Infrastructure work related to İBB was carried out here. All the necessary documents were provided by Ertan Yıldız.”

Sari said he was called by İBB’s secretariat toward the end of 2022 and went to the building in Bakırköy at the invitation of Fatih Keleş and Ertan Yıldız. He stated that during the meeting there, he was explicitly told that he “would not be able to collect his receivables without paying money.” Sari said, “These individuals told me, ‘There is a system operating here. This money is required by this system.’ I objected at first, but because of the commercial difficulties we were experiencing, I had to hand over this money in the manner requested.”

According to his allegation, Sari personally handed money to Ertan Yıldız a total of 9 times and to Fatih Keleş 17 times during the process. Some of the money was delivered at the service building in Bakırköy, while most of it was delivered at the former presidential residence in Florya.

These deliveries were received by Fatih Keleş’s brother Zafer Keleş or by a person named “Murat,” who is alleged to be his nephew.

Sari also said the money given to Ertan Yıldız was personally collected from the company by different drivers directed by Yıldız, and that the person who informed the company in advance of these names was Ziya Gökmen Togay.