The fifth hearing of the case opened within the scope of the investigation against Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and in which 50 defendants were tried, was held at Antalya 6th High Criminal Court.
While the detained Muhittin Böcek and his son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek attended the hearing, the detained defendant former Antalya Provincial Police Chief İlker Arslan and most of the other detained defendants were not present in the courtroom.
In the court, the statements of the 10 defendants, against whom an indictment was prepared on the charge of "bribery", who did not make a defense at the previous hearing, were taken.
CLAIM OF 4 MILLION 250 THOUSAND LIRAS FROM THE CONTRACTOR
The unarrested defendant contractor M.S.A., who was connected to the hearing via Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS), explained that they won a tender organized by Antalya Metropolitan Municipality and started working in 2019.
M.S.A. claimed that they could not receive progress payments from the municipality, so Muhittin Böcek and former Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Secretary General S.T. He said they met with.
Claiming that they were asked to contribute to the municipality during the meeting, M.S.A. claimed that Böcek requested donations by stating that he gave scholarships to students.
M.S.A. made the following statements regarding the meeting:
"I said I could give 500 thousand liras. But Muhittin Böcek said, 'Then drink your tea.' he said. So I went. "Later, I paid a total of 4 million 250 thousand liras in pieces, with the concern that I would not be able to receive my due payments."
"IF HE DOES NOT GIVE MONEY, THERE IS NO COMPETENCE FOR HIM"
Contractor M.S.A. claimed that later, former Deputy Secretary General S.T. called him to the municipality and told him that an additional 2.5 million lira was requested.
Explaining that he declared that he could not pay this money, M.S.A. claimed that Böcek, whom S.T. met with, said, "If he does not pay the money, there is no progress for him."
M.S.A. claimed that he and his son took 35 thousand dollars to S.T. and handed them over.
MUHITTİN BÖCEK: "ARREST IS NOT A METHOD OF PUNISHMENT"
Announcing his interim opinion at the hearing, the public prosecutor requested the continued detention of Muhittin Böcek and his son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek.
Muhittin Böcek, defending against the prosecutor's opinion, argued that he had been trying to answer the allegations against him since the beginning of the investigation and that he did not hide any information.
Stating that the detention process had a negative impact on him, Böcek said:
"Impartiality must be maintained even in the face of the most serious accusations. It is the common expectation of everyone who trusts in justice that the trial process be carried out away from political debates and all kinds of external factors. Arrest is not a method of punishment, but a measure implemented to ensure the healthy conduct of the trial."
"I DON'T WANT A PRIVILEGE"
Asking for his health problems and duration of detention to be taken into consideration, Böcek continued his defense as follows:
"I want the attitude I have shown so far to shed light on the judicial process and the behavior I have exhibited during my detention period to be taken into consideration. I do not want privilege. In addition to the psychological damage caused by the allegations against me, my detention period and my health problems should not be ignored."
Böcek said that 149 out of 151 people were released during the process, which he said lasted for about 15 months, and only he and his son remained detained, and expressed his sadness at the request for continued detention.
THE HEARING WAS POSTPONED TO JANUARY 4
Announcing its interim decision after the defenses, the court panel ruled that Muhittin Böcek and Mustafa Gökhan Böcek should continue to be detained.
The next hearing of the case was postponed to January 4, 2027.
