8 released in İBB case: 19 of 21 secret witnesses not heard

Istanbul's 33rd Heavy Penal Court ruled on the 109th day of the İBB trial, which has 436 defendants including İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, to release 8 detained people. After the release procedures were completed, the 8 people left the prison, and 38 detainees remain in the case.

The court has so far summoned to the hearing only 2 of the 21 secret witnesses whose statements form the basis of the indictment. Secret witness "Gürgen", who joined remotely, said of the allegations he had described in categorical terms at the prosecutor's office: "There is no situation I witnessed or saw with my own eyes; what was discussed was like that, I don't remember." Secret witness "Zeytin", for his part, said of the accusations used as grounds for the detentions: "I heard the name in the market, I guessed, I made a connection in between"; he confessed that he did not know at all Fatih Keleş, Resul Emrah Şahan, Gürkan Akgün and Ramazan Gülten, whose surname he even wrote incorrectly.

The secret witnesses named "İlke" and "Martı", who were summoned to the court, did not come to the hearing.

Nergiz İnce, lawyer of İBB Sports Club President Fatih Keleş, noting that there are 21 secret witnesses in the file, that 15 of them are included in the indictment, that it was decided to hear 4 of them and that only 2 have been heard, asked: "Where are the others?" On the 109th day, when the release requests were discussed, the court decided to waive the hearing of 19 of the secret witnesses and to be satisfied with the statements they gave during the investigation phase.

Those released were Medya A.Ş. Purchasing and Tender Manager Fatoş Ayık, businessman Serhat Kapki, businessman Ahmet Köksal, Kültür A.Ş. Deputy General Manager Onur Aldı, Cebeci Mine Site weighbridge supervisor Volkan Ateş, İmamoğlu's lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan, Medya A.Ş. General Manager Fatoş Pınar Türker and Murat Or, Chief of Staff to Ağaç A.Ş. General Manager Ali Sukas.

Mehmet Pehlivan said: "Now I want to be reunited with my daughter. Of course I am happy, but there is a heaviness inside me. My brother is in prison, my friends are in prison." Fatoş Pınar Türker said: "My only wish is to be reunited with my daughters. My mind is with the other friends who remain captive." Onur Aldı said: "We waited 18 months for someone to be heard. No secret witnesses, no witnesses. And in the end, here we are."