Interim decision in the trial of Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe

The hearing of the case in which suspended Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe and 8 defendants were tried was held at the Istanbul 10th High Criminal Court.

Bahçetepe, former CHP PM member Baki Aydöner and other defendants who were not detained attended the hearing.

A prison sentence of up to 24 years is requested for Bahçetepe, who is charged with the crimes of "laundering assets resulting from crime", "bribery" and "unfair acquisition of property, smuggling or hiding property".

At today's hearing, Bahçetepe took the defendant's stand and made his defense.

Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe said that he had been in prison for 16 months based on Aziz İhsan Aktaş's statement.

"I would also like to state that I spent the most honorable 16 months of my life in prison." Making his defense, Bahçetepe said, "There is no action that we neither delayed nor accelerated during our term as mayor." he said.

Hakan Bahçetepe's lawyers requested release, saying that there was no evidence in the file to obscure and no suspicion of escape.

After Bahçetepe, former CHP PM member Baki Aydöner took the stage this time.

In his defense, Aydöner claimed that he did not receive any money from Aziz İhsan Aktaş and said, "I have been detained for 16 months for something I did not take part in. I am being tried in detention even though I have nothing to do with it. What will I black out, where will I escape? I demand my release so that I can regain my health." he said.

In its interim decision, the court decided to release the detained defendant, former CHP Party Assembly member Baki Aydöner.

It was decided that Hakan Bahçetepe's detention would continue. The hearing was postponed to 27 October.

Bahçetepe is accused of laundering assets resulting from crime, illegally acquiring property through bribery, and smuggling or concealing property. It is requested that the CHP leader be sentenced to up to 24 years in prison.

In the indictment, Aziz Lal, Aziz İhsan Aktaş, Baki Aydöner, Erdal Celal Aksoy, Gözde Bahçetepe, Gürkan Dölekli, Hakan Bahçetepe, Seza Büyükçulha and Özer Ayık are listed as suspects.

Again, the indictment includes Aziz İhsan Aktaş's statement, taken within the scope of effective repentance provisions.

Accordingly, Aktaş claimed that Hakan Bahçetepe was given 300 thousand dollars through Özer Ayık in order to obtain an excavation permit from Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality.

Bahçetepe, on the other hand, denied the accusations and argued that he did not know Aziz İhsan Aktaş, that the excavation permit was received unanimously by the municipal council and the relevant commissions, and that the allegations of bribery did not reflect the truth.