Beykoz investigation deepens! WhatsApp conversations revealed

Details have emerged regarding the investigation launched into the Beykoz Municipality on charges of "bid-rigging" and "forming, being a member of, and aiding an organization for the purpose of committing crimes."

Technical investigations conducted as part of the probe included correspondence from company owner suspects in a group established under the name 'Beykoz Coffeehouse.'

The investigation launched by the Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, in which 13 people including Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler were arrested on charges of "bid-rigging" and "forming, being a member of, and aiding an organization for the purpose of committing crimes," is ongoing.

CORRESPONDENCE IN THE BEYKOZ COFFEEHOUSE GROUP

Teams from the Istanbul Financial Crimes Investigation Bureau, working on the case, determined that 15 main companies invited to municipal tenders and 60 sub-companies belonging to them acted in concert, with many sharing the same addresses and even using the same vehicles.

Technical studies revealed that the interventions of the company owner suspects regarding the tenders were also included in the correspondence in the WhatsApp group established under the name "Beykoz Coffeehouse."

In the correspondence between the company owners, agreements regarding information on bids submitted for tenders, consulting each other based on notifications, and details ranging from payments to fees charged drew attention.

The correspondence also included the company owners exchanging views with each other before the tenders were held.

"IF THEY BLOW UP, IT'S BAD"

In the correspondence regarding irregular invoices issued by a firm participating in a tender for the municipality, the message "We have invoices we took for Beykoz; if they blow up, it's bad. We didn't take anything from any foreign firm. This business is like unraveling a sweater. If they got a problematic invoice from somewhere, it goes from one to another, from one to another" drew attention.

It was learned that Veli Gümüş, the Private Secretary of the Beykoz Municipality who was arrested as part of the investigation, declared during his police processing that he received a salary of 65 thousand liras for his duties. Investigations determined that Gümüş was residing in a luxury residence with a monthly rent of approximately 200 thousand liras.

It was also learned that a person heard as a witness in the investigation stated that Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler pressured employees to award a lighting contract to a specific firm, and that those who resisted were either reassigned or fired.

Meanwhile, it was noted that on the day he was detained, Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler was preparing for a domestic flight in the morning and greeted the police teams who arrived at his address while wearing a suit.