In the last hearing on the eighth day of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality trial, where the corruption of the century, 161 billion public losses, and bribery and corruption in 143 actions were discussed, Ağaç A.Ş. General Manager Ali Sukas started his defense. At yesterday’s hearing, which started after the 4-day holiday, it was seen that at least 50 seats were empty in the section reserved for the audience. Businessman Ahmet Sarı had to pay a total of 232.5 million TL in bribes to Ekrem İmamoğlu’s advisors and relatives in order to receive his due payment from IMM. Ahmet Sarı, who testified during the investigation phase, noted that Sukas called him and requested 10 vehicles to use in the election campaign during the CHP Istanbul 2nd Region parliamentary candidacy process for his wife, Berna Sukas, and said, “I could not refuse the offer due to our ongoing work and receivables.” It was revealed that 10 vehicles with CHP logos were delivered to Berna Sukas, wife of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality bureaucrat Ali Sukas, who is a parliamentary candidate.

‘WE WERE LATE, WE FOUND 8-10 VEHICLES’

Sukas made confessions of this situation in his defense at yesterday’s hearing. In his defense, Sukas said, “I will express it with all my sincerity, there was a lot of attack from here. We did not make any preliminary preparations for my wife’s election campaign in the 2023 elections, we were late. I am at peace in conscience. We needed small commercial vehicles to work in the election. I talked about this issue with Ahmet Sarı (businessman) and he said ‘We found 8-10’. We talked about the price. There was 1 month until the election. He quoted a 1 month rental fee for all of them around 180-200 thousand. “We agreed,” he said.

I AM READY TO PAY THIS PUNISHMENT

Stating that they wanted to pay when they delivered the vehicles after the election, but they were told ‘Let us support you, let us contribute’, Sukas said, “If Ahmet Sarı looks me in the eye and says ‘I cannot get what I owe from Ağaç AŞ. That’s why I had to pay these,’ I am ready to pay this penalty.”

‘WE COULD NOT PAY OUR DEBT’

Sukas continued his defense by saying that Sarı said to him, “We will handle it”: “I repeated it 4-5 times. When we handed over the vehicles after the election, I asked for the account number. He said, ‘We took care of that, let’s support our sister, she couldn’t be elected anyway. You are so worn out’. There is such an open, sincere relationship between us.”

LACK OF IQ LEVEL!

The court president gave İmamoğlu, who wanted to ask a question to Ali Sukas, the right to speak. However, İmamoğlu targeted the prosecution before the question. Prosecutor’s decision against Ağaç A.Ş. İmamoğlu, who called the comparative table of money outflows related to the year ‘a lie’, said to the presiding judge, “The tables are intended to be complete garbage. This table is wrong. I say that the table presented by the prosecution is a lie. Even with a secondary school IQ, he would have been better prepared.” He made insulting remarks to the prosecutor.

HE CALLED HELP CARDS ‘TRADITION’

Sukas answered the Presiding Judge’s question about aid cards as follows: “Traditionally, during Ramadan, companies bring whatever they want and leave it to us. There would not be a record with figures regarding this. Since there is nothing systematic, there is no such record.”

Halit and Fatma Erdem couple, who have 3 children and 9 grandchildren, are happy in their new home, as their house was heavily damaged in Hatay during the disaster of the century. Halit Erdem (65) expressed his joy by saying, “My state gave me the house that I couldn’t even roof, literally for free.” Erdem Family, whose 2-storey detached houses in Hatay’s Ötençay District were destroyed in the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, settled in the village houses built by the state for earthquake victims in the same neighborhood. “We were not expecting such a beautiful and big house,” said Halit Erdem, adding, “The real surprise for us was the payments. We were expecting a payment of at least 2 million TL. We were thinking about how we would pay, but the moment our President announced the payments, our happiness doubled.

Our state has once again shown how it protects the people. If I wanted to build this house myself, I couldn’t even build the roof for 448 thousand liras. We became homeowners for the cost of a roof. I will take out a loan and pay it immediately. “May God grant everyone such a beautiful house,” she said. Stating that her house is spacious, Fatma Erdem (61) said, “People around us were telling us, ‘Even if he did, you wouldn’t be able to handle that debt.’ Thank God, our President embarrassed those who could not bear it. I even enjoy cleaning my house. “My grandchildren are having fun in the garden,” he said.

The urban transformation project carried out in Tozkoparan, Istanbul, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and Güngören Municipality, continues successfully. In the project, 1179 residences and 43 workplaces have been completed so far and delivered to their beneficiaries. Citizens experienced the joy of Ramadan Feast in their new homes this year. The first 3 stages of the Tozkoparan Urban Transformation Project, implemented by Emlak Konut GYO, have been completed. In the 4th stage, which continues under the coordination of the Urban Transformation Directorate, the construction of 2 thousand 498 residences and 133 workplaces continues.

Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, shared the images of citizens who have new and solid houses in Tozkoparan, Güngören district, and said, “The joy of living in solid and safe houses with their parks, gardens, and our children without being left behind is different. This is how the holiday was spent in the transformed Tozkoparan.”

‘WE SLEEP EASILY NOW’

Neighborhood residents, who gained solid homes with urban transformation, also talked about the great change they experienced. Serhan Yıldız said, “This place is modern and spacious, designed with beautiful engineering. I personally came and saw it during the construction phases, I think it is quite solid. Now, when we put our heads on the pillow, we sleep comfortably. The payment plan is very good. So, I think it is suitable for all budgets.” Explaining that their old house was very humid, Ali Yalçın summarized the happiness of his new home with the following sentences: “All those who ask say, ‘Uncle Ali, it is really as you described.’ I say, ‘Come’, let’s take a tour. I say, ‘Come’, enter the house together. Let’s go to my flat. I say, ‘Come’, let’s go to the garages. Let’s go downstairs to the garages. I say, ‘Come’ and watch me enter the door. I said, ‘You can’t enter without a card. You can’t enter without a card.’ “They made it into a stanza.” ANKARA

‘I FEEL SAFE HERE’

Melisa Şahin, who has been living in the region for 30 years, drew particular attention to the security and social facilities and said, “I feel safe. I have a baby, I may not be able to take him to a park outside, but I can go out here immediately, there is a park opposite my house, and the garden is very large. Also, the neighborly culture still continues, which is very important in this era.”

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced that 18 thousand 860 children have benefited from the Anka Child Support Program since 2014. The program is implemented to ensure the psychosocial recovery of traumatized children and strengthen their social adaptation. Within the scope of the program carried out within the Specialized Children’s Homes Site (İÇES), the rehabilitation process is planned taking into account the individual needs of the children. While a counselor is assigned to each child admitted to the institution, an Individual Needs and Risk Assessment Form (BIRDEF) is filled out within the first 10 days. With this evaluation, the child’s social, psychological and family situation is analyzed and appropriate support mechanisms are put into action. Program; It consists of individual counseling, group studies, family support services and crisis intervention processes. Group studies are carried out in 78 sessions under 5 headings, each session lasting 45 minutes. In addition, through work with families, parenting skills are strengthened and child-family relationships are supported. As a result of the evaluations made every three months, the service process of the children is replanned. The program aims for the healthy development of children with its reward-oriented approach and versatile support system.

New term student applications continue for DENEYAP Technology Workshops operating throughout Türkiye. Students interested in technology can apply until March 30. With workshops, students will have the opportunity to receive applied training in areas such as design, production and software. The new term student recruitment process continues for DENEYAP Technology Workshops, which were implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, TUBITAK and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Applications for the program, which aims to train competent individuals in the field of technology throughout Türkiye, can be made until March 30.

Within the scope of the program, it is aimed to introduce students to technology development processes at an early age and to strengthen their production-oriented thinking skills. For the new semester, 4th and 5th grade, 8th grade, high school preparatory and 9th grade students will be able to apply.

Students who successfully complete all stages will have the right to participate in the 3-year free training program at DENEYAP Technology Workshops.

Selçuk Bayraktar, Chairman of Baykar, one of the leading companies in Türkiye’s defense industry, made important contacts in his hometown Trabzon, where he came for Ramadan Feast.

Following the Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center brought to the city, Bayraktar started work on a second science center, this time in Sürmene district. At the same time, Bayraktar, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Turkish Technology Team Foundation and Chairman of the Board of TEKNOFEST, examined the area planned for the implementation of the new project on site.

Previous science center project; It was implemented in cooperation with Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, Ministry of Industry and Technology, TÜBİTAK, Eastern Black Sea Development Agency (DOKA) and T3 Foundation. Bayraktar’s ancestral land, Sürmene, was chosen as the new address.

In his statement regarding the visit, Sürmene Mayor Hüseyin Azizoğlu emphasized that the project is of great importance for young people. Azizoğlu said, “We were honored to host the precious children of the late Özdemir Bayraktar, the pioneer of the National Technology Move, the pride of our country, Mr. Selçuk Bayraktar, and our precious lady, Ms. Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, in our district.

We examined our Science Center project, which we plan to bring to Sürmene, on site and held fruitful consultations on the content and vision of the project. “We continue to shape this important step together that will shed light on the future of our young people,” he said.

The new science center is aimed to bring together young people in the region with technology and science.