At the hearing held at the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court, in the hall opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Institution, the defense of the unarrested defendant, former Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Kültür AŞ General Manager Murat Abbas was taken.
Stating that he repeated the issues he explained in his effective statement of remorse given at the prosecutor's office on April 17, 2025, Abbas stated that he clearly explained what he knew at that time and what he learned during the investigation process, and that he still stands by the same statements today.
Abbas stated that he started working as the General Manager of Kültür AŞ on December 14, 2020, after meeting with different people and units at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and said, "My aim was to transfer the culture and arts management experience I gained in the private sector to the cultural and artistic life of Istanbul and use it for the public benefit. I am telling all this specifically because in this case, I care about the correct understanding of who I am and for what purpose I am at Kültür AŞ." he said.
Stating that the indictment requested that he be punished for 21 separate actions, Abbas said that these were mainly collected under the headings of works related to advertising areas, subcontractor tenders of cultural events, tenders related to organization and promotion, and the Digital Experience Museum.
Abbas stated that he did not want to be involved in the operational management of advertising works shortly after taking office, and that he clearly expressed his demand that new works related to advertising areas should be undertaken by Medya AŞ, not Kültür AŞ, and noted that the strategic management of advertising areas was not within his scope in the following period.
Stating that this area is managed by Murat Ongun, Abbas continued his defense as follows:
"The tender, purchasing, financial and legal processes within Kültür AŞ were carried out by the professional units and the relevant senior managers responsible for these areas. As the general manager, I was giving the necessary signatures and approvals on the documents that came to me at the end of these processes. However, I would like to reiterate that I never determined the companies that would bid, I did not organize the bids, I did not determine what prices the companies would offer. I was not involved in these processes, nor did I have any knowledge. In these transactions, the bidding companies were acting collusively among themselves or the winning and sub-bidding companies were in advance." I didn't know it was determined either."
"LAWYERS OF OTHER SUSPECTS, WHO WERE MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES, WERE ALSO DETERMINED AT THIS MEETING"
Abbas claimed that a meeting was held by IMM under the coordination of a lawyer at Kültür AŞ on March 9, before the operation held on March 19, 2025 within the scope of the investigation, and made the following statement:
"At this meeting, there were talks about the possibility of an operation against the municipality, that everyone should come together in case of this operation, that everyone should answer in the same manner and defend in the same direction when asked questions about names such as Murat Ongun, Fatih Keleş, Ertan Yıldız. We were asked to say that we know Ongun and Yıldız as the mayor's advisor, and Keleş as the IBB Sports President and council member, but other than that, we were asked to say that we do not have any information about these people."
Explaining that another detailed meeting was held in the evening, Abbas said, "At this meeting, they told us to issue a power of attorney to the lawyers whose names they gave. I also issued a power of attorney to the lawyer whose name was given to me. The attorneys of the other suspects, who are municipal employees and included in the file, were also determined at this meeting." he said.
Abbas said the following in his defense:
"After this investigation file was revealed, on the evening of the meeting I mentioned on March 9, when I asked Doğan Hamit Doğruer, the Deputy General Manager, to tell what he knew, as I understood the seriousness of the incident, he said that these irregular tenders were personally managed by Murat Ongun, that he and Kağan Sürmegöz organized the tenders according to Ongun's instructions, that tender preparations were made by determining in advance who would win the tenders and who would submit side bids, that irregular fines were collected and advertised. "He himself told me that the items in the inspection report regarding the fraudulent contracts signed regarding the money openly requested for permission to be granted, the graphic design fee, the placement of a drone, etc. were true, and that illegal and unprocedural works and transactions were carried out."
Arguing that the Digital Experience Museum is not a project developed by himself or initiated by Kültür AŞ, Abbas said that the project was initiated by the Communications Coordination Office before the local election process towards the end of 2023, and was transferred to the responsibility of Kültür AŞ in order to be completed after reaching a certain stage.
Stating that the project is expected to be completed before the local elections and that there is serious pressure on this issue, Abbas stated that 4 separate procurement tenders were held within the scope of the project.
Abbas made the following claims about the museum:
"During the construction of this museum, I was told that 10 million lira was received by Murat Ongun and Ertan Yıldız as election support, and then 2 million lira by Ertan Yıldız to support the Zeytinburnu CHP Mayor candidate, and 1 million 250 thousand lira was requested from the company T. under the name of food support for the employees who went to the election campaign. But I have no information about who carried this money and to whom it was given. By the Communication Coordination Office, by the company named T. "7 million lira for ventilation and roof, 8 million lira for the glass of the Communication Coordination Office, 22 million lira for labor, and 6 million lira for Kahraman Yeşilyurt were unofficially included in the budget. I was aware of these, 22 million lira for labor and 7 million lira for ventilation and roof. Since it was not possible to complete the museum without these, of course it made sense and I said okay. I was not aware of the other items."
CROSS-EXAMINATION OF ABBAS
During his cross-examination, the Prosecutor at the Trial said, "Budgets for advertising positions, holidays, organizations, etc. related to the Communication Coordinatorship are all determined as Murat Ongun likes. Is it true?" Abbas asked the question: "It is true." he replied.
Abbas: "What is Murat Ongun's normal duty within the municipality?" "I don't know much about him officially within the municipality, but I can tell you what he does functionally, I've already said that." he said.
"Did he have any authority over Kultur Inc?" Abbas answered the question: "He has no official authority." he replied.
During the interrogation, "So why did you accept this at that time, you are the general manager of Kültür AŞ, right?" The question was posed.
In response to the question, Abbas said that they held a meeting at the hotel in Kalamış attended by Murat Ongun, Ertan Yıldız and Yiğit Oğuz Duman, that after he became the head of Kültür AŞ, he started receiving calls from advertisers, and that he said, "I did not come for this." Explaining that there were disagreements and that there was talk of shifting new advertising tenders to Medya AŞ, he said:
"As I mentioned before, we gave the advertising areas under the Doğan Blocks, site control and tender, all to that department. Before doing this, I met with all the relevant senior managers. I met with the legal unit of Kültür AŞ. I met with the legal unit of the IMM subsidiaries. 'Are there any collusive transactions here? Are there things that will hurt me?' etc. In all of these, 'These are being done according to the procedure, in accordance with the legislation. 'Tenders are held in accordance with the law.' "I received an assurance that
When one of the defendants, Murat Ongun, asked about the Digital Experience Museum, Abbas said, "I will not answer any more of your manipulative questions about the Digital Museum. How this museum started, how it progressed, how it was run under pressure, and how it had to be completed on February 25 in time for the election continued with incredible pressure on you and the President. You know the details of this job very well, but here you are trying to put the tender on me with your manipulative questions." he declared.
Thereupon, Ongun said, "I will ask a question based on your answer. If you do not want to answer, you know." he said.
Abbas said:
"I have already explained what I have to say about this project in great detail. I have nothing more to add. As the general manager, I only signed some signatures to complete this project, and I knew some of the costs. I saw for the first time which company it was before, at the meeting where you were present and Ekrem Bey was also present. This is also in Onur Aldı's statement: 'When the project was transferred to us.' he says. From whom was the project transferred? I read it here for the first time, as Cem Çelik also explained, how the project started and for what purposes it started. In his own statement, Ertan Yıldız said, 'As the manager of all subsidiaries, I know concretely.' he says. 'This project is Murat Ongun's election project.' "he says."
"I WILL NOT ANSWER LAWYERS' QUESTIONS"
Presiding Judge Selçuk Aylan stated that after the questions of the defendants are completed, they will take the questions of the lawyers tomorrow and that they will finish the hearing.
Abbas then said, "I have testified and explained enough both at the prosecutor's office and here. I also answered the questions of the defendants. I will not answer the questions of the esteemed lawyers." he said.
Upon Abbas's words, Aylan stated that the lawyers would take their questions tomorrow and that he should be present in the courtroom during this time, and postponed the hearing until tomorrow.
Meanwhile, with the defense of 3 undetained defendants being taken, the defense of a total of 289 undetained defendants in the case was completed.
