
5 people detained within the scope of the investigation against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality were released at the first hearing.
Arzu Can, Çağatay Takaoğlu, Onur Gülin, Engin Gönül and Faruk Ceyhan, who were detained for approximately 16 months within the scope of the investigation against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, were released at the first hearing at the Istanbul 7th High Criminal Court.
AI-generated summary
The investigation against IMM started in May 2025. A separate indictment was prepared against the defendants on allegations of bid rigging and bribery.
Some of the names detained in the operation of the investigation against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) on May 20, 2025 were arrested on May 22. Names, including Çeşme Deputy Mayor Onur Gülin, were not included as defendants in the approximately 4 thousand-page main IBB indictment prepared in November 2025.
Some detainees, including Gülin, were released during the detention review held on December 4, 2025, but were re-arrested before they could be released following the objection of the prosecutor's office.
A separate indictment was prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on July 21, 2026, in the section of the investigation separated from the main file.
The indictment included allegations regarding the tenders held within the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Press and Public Relations Department. The prosecutor's office filed charges of "tender rigging", "bribery" and "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations" against some defendants.
The first hearing of the case was held today at Istanbul 7th High Criminal Court. The defendants, who have been detained since May 2025, appeared before the judge for the first time in approximately 16 months.
The court decided to release the detained defendants Arzu Can, Çağatay Takaoğlu, Onur Gülin, Engin Gönül and Faruk Ceyhan. Fikri Murat Demir's detention was ruled to continue.
Thus, five of the six names, for whom a separate indictment was prepared after they were not included in the main IMM indictment and who had been in prison for approximately 16 months, were released at the first hearing.
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