Bakırköy Municipality investigation... Reaction from lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan to the arrest of his older brother Abdülhamit Pehlivan: 'We have no one left'

Mehmet Pehlivan, the lawyer of Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested within the scope of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality case, reacted to the arrest of his older brother Abdülhamit Pehlivan, who is the Deputy Mayor of Bakırköy, in the operation against Bakırköy Municipality.

In his statement on his account

"MY BROTHER WAS TAKING CARE OF MY FATHER AND MOTHER WHO HAD CANCER"

Pehlivan noted that "in the end, his brother's door was knocked on" with issues that had nothing to do with him, and continued as follows:

"He answered every question with the law and the regulation. Well, those who knocked on his door knew those answers. Their problem was neither the questions nor the answers. They arrested him. My brother was taking care of my mother and father who had cancer. He had been taking care of my daughter's needs for 17 months, as well as taking care of his two little children. You arrested him. We have no one left."

Pehlivan's full post is as follows:

"This morning, my brother Abdülhamit Pehlivan, who is the Deputy Mayor of Bakırköy, was arrested. Every time he visited me during my 17-month detention, I was telling him about this judicial climate, that his door could be knocked on for an issue that had nothing to do with him and was not even against the law. Although he believed in his brother's innocence, he could not accept that the state would do these things, since he spent half his life as a civil servant.

He was at peace because he embraced the public understanding even more than his name suggests. Ultimately, he got a knock on his door regarding issues he had nothing to do with. Questions were asked. He answered every question with the law and regulation. Well, those who knocked on his door also knew those answers. Their issue was neither the questions nor the answers. They arrested him. My brother was taking care of my parents who had cancer. She has been taking care of my daughter's needs for 17 months, as well as taking care of her two young children. You arrested him. We have no one left. 'This is honor, engraved on our identity, this is patience, filtered from the past.'"

WHAT HAPPENED?

Within the scope of the investigation launched by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the allegation that public damage occurred as a result of criminal irregularities in the tender files regarding the purchase of goods and services made by the Bakırköy Municipality, 39 people, including the deputy mayors Abdülhamit Pehlivan, Cemalettin Özdemir, Arda Karadağ and Ali Rıza Akyüz, were arrested.

The judgeship decided to impose judicial control measures on 18 people.