Release 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. Bahçetepe, who was asked to be sentenced to up to 24 years in prison for the crimes of 'laundering assets resulting from crime', 'bribery' and 'unfair acquisition, smuggling or hiding property', made his defense at the hearing.

'THERE WAS AN AK PARTY COUNCIL MEMBER WITH ME, BUT THERE IS AN ACCUSEMENT ON ME'

Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe said, "I have been in prison for 16 months upon the statement of Aziz İhsan Aktaş, whose name I do not even know. I would also like to state that I have spent the most honorable 16 months of my life in prison. I ask myself this question: Let alone concrete evidence, strong suspicion of crime, there is not even a single victim statement about me. There is no action that we neither delay nor accelerate during our term as mayor. I cannot be a 'perpetrator' according to the Turkish Penal Code, but I have been in prison for 16 months in the case where I was not the 'perpetrator'. Regarding the base records that were attributed to me, I went to the construction site on May 1. There was also an AK Party council member with me; if there is any doubt regarding the proof of this, please check if that person has a base record with me. There is also an AK Party council member with me. "I don't know Aktaş. I learned his name for the first time on Twitter in January 2025. If you put yourself in my shoes for a minute, I don't even know that there are such people in the world. I demand that you redress my grievance."

Hakan Bahçetepe's lawyers requested release, saying that there was no evidence in the file to obscure and no suspicion of escape. Lawyers of the other defendants also requested that the allegations of 'strong suspicion of crime', 'obscuring evidence' and 'suspicion of escape' be justified in the event of an interim decision to continue their detention.

'I DID NOT RECEIVE MONEY FROM AZIZ İHSAN AKTAŞ'

The detained defendant, former CHP PM member Baki Aydöner, said in his defense: "I did not receive money from Aziz İhsan Aktaş. 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."

BAKİ AYDÖNER WAS RELEASED

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.