Within the scope of the investigation carried out regarding the death of former Minister of Transport Arif Ahmet Denizolgun at his farm in Beykoz in 2016, an indictment was filed against 3 Forensic Medicine Institution officials who allegedly falsely replied to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office that "there was no video record", even though there was a video record of the autopsy.
In the indictment sent to Bakırköy High Criminal Court, it was requested that a public lawsuit be filed against Forensic Medicine Institute Mortuary Specialization Department Deputy Head İsmail Çoban, record clerk Çağdaş Köse and the photo shop officer Samet Çalışkan, where the records were kept, for "Forgery of Official Documents by a Public Official".
It was stated that, within the scope of the investigation in the indictment, a warrant was written to the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute on February 24, 2026, to investigate whether there were video recordings of Denizolgun's autopsy. It was noted that in the response of the Mortuary Specialization Department of the Forensic Medicine Institute dated March 12, 2026, it was stated that there were photographs of the autopsy process.
It was stated that the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office sent a warrant again on June 1, 2026, requesting video and photographic records of the autopsy, and in the response dated June 5, 2026, it was stated that the photographs of the autopsy were sent in a CD.
IT WAS STATED THAT THERE WAS NO VIDEO RECORDING OF THE AUTOPSY.
In the indictment, it was stated that a new letter was written to the Forensic Medicine Institute on July 14, 2026, and it was determined that there were 145 photographs in the CD sent, and it was also requested to investigate whether there was a video recording. In the response of the Mortuary Specialization Department of the Forensic Medicine Institute dated July 16, 2026, it was stated that there was no video recording of the autopsy process.
It was stated that within the scope of the investigation, the decision for the conquest burial was made on 18 August 2026 and the conquest burial process was carried out on 19 August 2026.
In the indictment, it was stated that in the letter of the Forensic Medicine Institute dated August 18, 2026, it was stated that there were video recordings of the autopsy and that the recordings were transferred to CD via flash memory and sent to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
STATEMENTS OF 3 OFFICERS WERE TAKEN
In the indictment, it was stated that the statements of Forensic Medicine Institute Mortuary Specialization Department Deputy Head İsmail Çoban, record clerk Çağdaş Köse and photography shop officer Samet Çalışkan were taken as suspects. It was noted that, with the letter of the Forensic Medicine Institute dated September 16, 2026, an administrative investigation was carried out against the suspects and documents regarding the imposition of a reprimand were sent to the file.
It was reported that the suspect Samet Çalışkan made an interrogation and stated that he had handed over 145 photographs, Çağdaş Köse said that he answered that there was no video recording, and İsmail Çoban made a statement that he approved the warrant stating that there was no video recording.
PUBLIC CASE REQUEST FOR 3 SUSPECTS
In the indictment, it was stated that the suspects were public officials working in the Forensic Medicine Institute and therefore they were considered public officials in accordance with the Turkish Penal Code.
When the correspondence of the institution, the statements of the suspects and the letter of the institution dated August 18, 2026 stating that there was a video recording were evaluated together, it was noted that the suspects were evaluated to have given false answers to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office despite the existence of the video recording.
The actions of the suspects are subject to Article 204/2 of the Turkish Penal Code. It was claimed that they fell within the scope of the crime of "Forgery of Official Documents by a Public Official" regulated in the article and that there was sufficient suspicion to file a public lawsuit against them.
The Prosecutor's Office requested imprisonment from 3 to 8 years for Çağdaş Köse, İsmail Çoban and Samet Çalışkan for the crime of "Forgery of Official Documents by a Public Official".
