The Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an order to arrest, detain, search and seize 21 municipal employees, including the former Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, on charges of “tender rigging” and “establishing, membership and aiding an organization to commit a crime”. Mayor Alaattin Köseler and 20 suspects were detained on February 27. Within the scope of the investigation, the number of suspects increased to 26, 13 suspects, including Köseler, were arrested on March 4, and it was decided that 9 suspects would be released under judicial control with an international travel ban. An arrest warrant was issued for the three suspects mentioned in the file.

MAYOR KÖSELER WAS REQUESTED TO BE IMPRISONED FOR UP TO 67 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS

In the 402-page report prepared against 26 suspects, including Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, 78 goods and service procurement tenders were scrutinized and the founder of the corruption organization of Mayor Alaattin Köseler, who was suspended from office, his private secretary Veli Gümüş and his private secretary Metin Ülgey were evaluated as managers. Mayor Köseler was requested to be imprisoned for up to 67 years and 3 months for the crimes of “establishing an organization to commit a crime”, “sequentially rigging the tender through fraudulent behavior”, “chained qualified fraud” and “chainly forging official documents”.

IN THE FIRST SEARCH, ALL ARRESTED DEFENDANTS WERE RELEASED

Following the summary sent to the Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office by the Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the court accepted the indictment in the public case filed with the Istanbul Anatolian 17th High Criminal Court. The trial of 26 defendants, including Mayor Köseler, started in September last year. During the hearing, which lasted 3 days in total, the public prosecutor requested the continuation of the detention of the defendants Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Serdar Karahan, Havva Dindar and Uğur İnci, and the arrest of the defendant Yıldız Güneş, who was not detained. The prosecutor requested the release of the defendants Metin Ülgey, Fidan Gül, Mustafa Karadağ, Onur Demirci, Yusuf Karaaslan, Mahmut Adalı and Tamer Çapraz, taking into account the time they spent in detention. Announcing its interim decision, the court decided to release 13 detained defendants, including Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Serdar Karahan, Havva Dindar, Metin Ülgey, Fidan Gül.

HE WAS ARRESTED AGAIN AFTER RELEASE

Anatolian 17th High Criminal Court, which evaluated the request, stated that the release decisions in question were in accordance with the procedure and law and ruled that there was no need to change the decision. The court sent the file to the Anatolian 18th High Criminal Court, a higher court, to evaluate the decision and objection in question. Evaluating the decision, the upper court accepted the objection and ruled to issue an arrest warrant for the defendants, including Köseler. Thereupon, Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Havva Dindar were arrested, and an arrest warrant was issued for the other defendants, Serdar Karahan and Uğur İnci, for whom an arrest warrant was issued.

THEY CAME BEFORE THE JUDGE AGAIN FOR THE SECOND TIME

While the detained defendants, former Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Havva Dindar, were brought to the hearing at the Istanbul Anatolian 17th High Criminal Court from the prison they were in, the unarrested defendants, Ahmet Furkan Özten, Gülten Tozanlı, Hasan Uysal, Metin Ülgey, Fidan Gül, Tamer Çapraz, Yusuf Karaaslan, Yıldız Güneş, Uğur İnci and lawyers also took their place in the hall. CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik attended the hearing as a spectator. Defendant Uğur İnci, who was released in the previous hearing and later issued a warrant for arrest by the Anatolian 18th High Criminal Court, came to the courtroom. The court president decided that the defendant İnci would remain in the courtroom until the hearing was over, and then instructed the law enforcement forces to take the necessary action regarding the arrest warrant against him.

I MEET WITH ALAATTİN KÖSELER COUNTLESS TIMES

Witness Duran Bülbül, in his statement via SEGBİS, stated that he has been working in the state for 47 years and has been working on public tenders, and said, “I used to answer the questions of spending officials about tenders in all public institutions. I used to provide consultancy to the questions asked to me about the work I did for Beykoz Municipality. I did not have any guidance regarding tenders.” Stating that he gave two written statements when he was called by the Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Bülbül said, “The questions asked were recorded in the minutes. I stated what I heard about Veli Gümüş, but I did not witness bilateral relations. I met with the mayor countless times. Alaattin Köseler did not speak to me about the tenders. Veli Gümüş and Metin Ülgey did not give any instructions to me or any other employee regarding the tenders.” When the Public Prosecutor asked about the two meetings that the detained defendant Fidan Gül mentioned during the investigation phase, Bülbül said, “We had two meetings. We discussed the circular prepared on how municipal cooperation will be carried out.”

BASED ON WHAT I TOLD, WHAT I SEEN AND HEARED

Witness Ömercan EA’s statement given to the Public Prosecutor’s Office during the investigation phase was read at the hearing. In his statement in court, Altay said, “What I said is based on what I saw and heard. I worked with Mr. Orkun within the municipality. I went to the prosecutor’s office to testify of my own free will. I did not know the technical part. Fidan Gül did not give me any instructions.”

THE MAYOR DID NOT GIVE DIRECT INSTRUCTIONS

Witness Ulughan U. stated that he started working at Beykoz Municipality in November 2014 and is still working. “I first worked in the Information Technology Unit and then worked in the Support Services Directorate. While I was working in the Support Services Directorate, Murat Gedik, Nihat Mutlu and Yıldız Güneş were in the unit. My duty was as a technical personnel. I would handle technical works such as malfunctions that occurred within the building. Our superiors made the decisions regarding these works. We did not deal directly with the companies. Yıldız Güneş gave instructions to take action regarding the ADL company. I cannot take action on my own. In November 2024, Sports Supports, without my own request. “I was transferred to the Department. The mayor did not give me direct instructions,” he said.

COMPANIES WERE NOT COMING DUE TO THEIR RECEIVABLES

Witness Eyüp Halit Bayazıt said that Duran Bülbül took office in May and took over some tasks, and Veli Gümüş was appointed. Stating that the Support Services Directorate was divided into two at the beginning of June, Bayazıt said, “I am an industry person. The previous mayor took 4 large restaurants, coffee shops and service points into the municipality. Even to buy parsley, a tender had to be made. It was decided to remove these businesses from the municipality and transfer them to the municipality’s company. The cold storage would always break down. I left there and returned to Ankara. I also left the actual management and assistant position as of the beginning of June. Duran Bülbül had the authority to direct and was helping. Is it true? “I don’t know if he was doing it wrong or not. They even buy parsley by tender. About 6 months before the elections, the old administration bought the businesses from the municipality and incorporated them into the municipality. The cold storage facility was broken in May, but this person could not come because they could not receive the payments. I saw Uğur İnci when there was a chimney fire and I thought he was a technician. The companies have huge amounts of receivables from the past period,” he said.

EXPERT REPORT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE FILE

Speaking about the expert report in question, the president of the court stated that they wanted a report to be prepared to make concrete calculations regarding the damage and said, “1 professor and 2 Court of Accounts auditors were appointed. Our expert friend pretended to be a prosecutor and the report was presented as if it were a prosecutor’s indictment. We will not trust this report. We took the file back and will not give it to that committee again.” he said. The public prosecutor, who was asked for his opinion, requested that the detention of the detained defendants be continued.

I CAME OF MY OWN WILL, I HAVE NO DOUBT OF ESCAPE

Speaking, the defendant Uğur İnci stated that the arrest warrant came 2 days after the release decision, and that in the meantime they learned that his wife had cancer, and said, “The arrest came again 2 days after the last release decision. My wife had a disease, we learned that she had cancer, and she was receiving treatment for it. I took care of our 11-year-old child. I came here of my own free will, there is no such thing as running away. I was already at home during this process. I also brought the reports. I have been working with Beykoz municipality for a long time. I have been doing technical work for about 10 years. I work in many units of the municipality.” “I worked as a solution partner, but since the management was new, they did not want to work with us at first. The salary I will receive is a legacy from the old management,” he said.

I DID NOT DO ANYTHING TO HARM MY STATE

Detained defendant Havva Dindar stated that an arrest warrant was issued for her after she was released in the previous hearing, and that she surrendered after the decision. She said, “She has been in prison for 1 year, and she and her family have been seriously victimized. I have no intention of escaping. I have not done anything to harm my state.”

TOTAL DURATION OF MY DETENTION IS 356 DAYS

Detained defendant Alaattin Köseler stated that he was taken into custody on February 27, 2025, arrested on March 3, and suspended from duty on March 4, “The trial started after 188 days. I was released during the 3-day court process, I was arrested one day later. I am here after 166 days. The total duration of my detention is 356 days as of today. I have not made any payment without a completed file. It is moral for me to declare my innocence to the people of Beykoz.” “It imposes a heavy burden. There is no evidence of financial benefit sharing in the file. I served as a son of Beykoz for 11 months and did not pay a single penny to the state.” he said

I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY ILLEGAL BUSINESS

Detained defendant Veli Gümüş said, “Everything I said in the first court is true. I stand behind my statements. I do not accept the accusations made against me. When I was released, when I was outside with my wife, law enforcement officers called from the Financial Branch and said, there is a search about you, you need to help us. The pain in my wife’s eyes was heavy, sir. I went home, helped the law enforcement officers and surrendered. I was not involved in anything illegal. I demand my release and trial without arrest.”

THE CASE WAS POSTPONED

Announcing its interim decision, the court ruled that the detained defendants continue to be detained. The committee decided to send the file to the expert again and postponed the hearing to April 28 to correct the deficiencies.

According to the statement made by Bayer, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The settlement offer, filed in St. Louis District Court, is designed to preserve the company’s financial stability and permanently eliminate legal uncertainty.

Within the scope of the agreement, the total payment of $ 7.25 billion to end the lawsuits filed in the USA will be spread over 21 years to ensure financial balance.

Payments will be made in installments that decrease on an annual basis and are limited to a ceiling price. Compromise; It covers people who were exposed to the product before February 17, 2026 and have been diagnosed with lymph cancer or will get it within the next 16 years.

Individual payments; It will be calculated according to variables such as exposure duration, patient’s age and cancer type, and it is estimated that compensation amounts may exceed 198 thousand dollars per case.

“AN INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE COMPANY”

In his assessment of the issue, Bayer Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bill Anderson stated that they were determined to liquidate this burden inherited from the Monsanto acquisition in 2018.

Reminding that the settlement is not an admission of guilt, Anderson stated that this step will allow the company to completely turn its focus to innovation and that the price paid is an investment in the future of the company.

BAYER’S SHARES CRASHED

After the news was announced, a mixed trend was observed in the markets.

Although Bayer shares tested the peak of the last 1.5 years on Tuesday evening, they started the day at 45.81 euros with a loss of 7 percent on Wednesday morning due to the pressure of the high-cost payment plan on the financial statements.

While industry analysts welcome the assurance of future risks, they state that the final decision from the US Supreme Court remains critical.

LANDMARK DURNELL CASE DECISION

Despite the settlement plan, the real turning point for Bayer will be the “Durnell” case decision to be issued by the US Supreme Court in the summer.

The company argues that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not designated glyphosate as “carcinogenic,” so state laws cannot override federal regulations.

It is stated that if the court rules in favor of Bayer, it could largely eliminate the legal pressure on the company.

Bayer took over the huge wave of lawsuits it faced by acquiring Monsanto, the developer of glyphosate, for $63 billion in 2018. Anderson, who took office in 2023, promised investors to significantly reduce legal risks by the end of this year.

The German company currently faces approximately 65,000 lawsuits across the United States linked to its Roundup product. In this context, Bayer increased the total amount of provisions allocated for legal disputes to 11.8 billion euros, and allocated 9.6 billion euros of this amount directly to glyphosate files.

The company anticipates a payment of approximately 5 billion euros to beneficiaries in 2026 alone.

While an 8 billion dollar credit line was established for payments, it was announced that the financing would be provided through bond issues and equity-like instruments instead of capital increase.

The financial burden in question includes not only the collective reconciliation plan; It also covers additional agreements reached for the chemical PCB and individual cases of glyphosate, another problem area inherited from the Monsanto acquisition.

Bayer’s annual press conference has been postponed to March 4, 2026 in order to update the financial statements.

TGA IS ACTIVE WITH ITS NEW PROMOTION MODEL

Referring to the new model to be undertaken by the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) at the meeting, Ersoy said that they aim to integrate Türkiye’s historical, natural and gastronomic values ​​through product placement in the series content.

Stating that it is planned to purchase 30-second promotional films and digital short video contents in this context, Ersoy stated that the productions to be purchased will be evaluated with the priority of strengthening Türkiye’s tourism brand.

Ersoy emphasized that bringing Türkiye’s destination diversity and richness of experience to wider audiences on an international scale will be among the basic criteria in the support to be provided for TV series and said:

“Especially in digital content, we expect an original fictional approach and narrative that introduces different tourism values through various experiences. Again, we will take into account the works that serve to provide access to the global visitor potential by taking advantage of the recognition of the series with high viewing rates abroad. Another criterion of ours is the inclusion of the leading actors of the relevant series in both promotional films and digital short video contents. Companies that are exported abroad and receive incentives from the General Directorate of Cinema will be able to participate in this cooperation and apply to the TGA. Ensuring promotion, awareness and recognition… If these are not achieved “The common goal of both our General Directorate of Cinema and TGA’s work is to directly and effectively promote our country, our destinations and our tourism products to the widest possible audience.”

“WE WILL TRANSFORM OUR PLAYERS INTO TOURISM AMBASSADORS”

Emphasizing that the supports will encourage TV series to be shot in destinations that stand out in the tourism strategy and that they will turn our world-renowned actors into tourism ambassadors through TV series, Ersoy said that many values, from beaches to historical monuments, from gastronomy to health, nature and winter tourism, will be made more visible in TV series.

Ersoy stated that with TGA’s purchasing model, Türkiye’s tourism richness will be explained internationally with an experience-oriented communication language.

Ersoy said, “In short, we care about presenting our culture and historical heritage to the world with all possible elements, explaining them and making them known. This is the reason and goal of the steps we take.” he said.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy also announced that a similar support model has been launched for cinema films, and that productions that are represented in international Group A film festivals that promote our country abroad and meet the determined criteria will be supported by the Ministry.

Ersoy also said that as a ministry, they use public diplomacy effectively, especially in the field of cultural diplomacy.

Stating that institutions such as YTB, TIKA, Yunus Emre Institute and General Directorate of Foundations are carrying out intensive studies, Ersoy emphasized that the cinema and TV series sector, which has grown with the support provided by the Ministry, has also reached a tremendous area of ​​influence. At the end of the meeting, Ersoy thanked all stakeholders who contributed to the TV series and cinema industry and hoped that the new application would be beneficial for Turkish culture, tourism and the sector.

The Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an order to arrest, detain, search and seize 21 municipal employees, including the former Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, on charges of “tender rigging” and “establishing, membership and aiding an organization to commit a crime”. Mayor Alaattin Köseler and 20 suspects were detained on February 27. Within the scope of the investigation, the number of suspects increased to 26, 13 suspects, including Köseler, were arrested on March 4, and it was decided that 9 suspects would be released under judicial control with an international travel ban. An arrest warrant was issued for the three suspects mentioned in the file.

MAYOR KÖSELER WAS REQUESTED TO BE IMPRISONED FOR UP TO 67 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS

In the 402-page report prepared against 26 suspects, including Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, 78 goods and service procurement tenders were scrutinized and the founder of the corruption organization of Mayor Alaattin Köseler, who was suspended from office, his private secretary Veli Gümüş and his private secretary Metin Ülgey were evaluated as managers. Mayor Köseler was requested to be imprisoned for up to 67 years and 3 months for the crimes of “establishing an organization to commit a crime”, “sequentially rigging the tender through fraudulent behavior”, “chained qualified fraud” and “chainly forging official documents”.

IN THE FIRST SEARCH, ALL ARRESTED DEFENDANTS WERE RELEASED

Following the summary sent to the Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office by the Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the court accepted the indictment in the public case filed with the Istanbul Anatolian 17th High Criminal Court. The trial of 26 defendants, including Mayor Köseler, started in September last year. During the hearing, which lasted 3 days in total, the public prosecutor requested the continuation of the detention of the defendants Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Serdar Karahan, Havva Dindar and Uğur İnci, and the arrest of the defendant Yıldız Güneş, who was not detained. The prosecutor requested the release of the defendants Metin Ülgey, Fidan Gül, Mustafa Karadağ, Onur Demirci, Yusuf Karaaslan, Mahmut Adalı and Tamer Çapraz, taking into account the time they spent in detention. Announcing its interim decision, the court decided to release 13 detained defendants, including Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Serdar Karahan, Havva Dindar, Metin Ülgey, Fidan Gül.

HE WAS ARRESTED AGAIN AFTER RELEASE

Public prosecutor objected to the release of Veli Gümüş, Serdar Karahan, Havva Dindar and Uğur İnci, including Alaattin Köseler, and requested their arrest. The objection evaluated by the Istanbul Anatolian 18th High Criminal Court was accepted and an arrest warrant was issued for the re-arrest of Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Serdar Karahan, Havva Dindar and Uğur İnci. Köseler was taken into custody and arrested again.

THEY CAME BEFORE THE JUDGE AGAIN FOR THE SECOND TIME

While the detained defendants, former Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, Veli Gümüş, Havva Dindar, were brought to the hearing at the Istanbul Anatolian 17th High Criminal Court from the prison they were in, the unarrested defendants, Ahmet Furkan Özten, Gülten Tozanlı, Hasan Uysal, Metin Ülgey, Fidan Gül, Tamer Çapraz, Yusuf Karaaslan, Yıldız Güneş and lawyers also took their place in the hall.

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change imposed an administrative fine of 2 million 98 thousand liras on the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Water and Sewerage Administration (ASKİ) General Directorate due to the pollution detected in the Gerede Işıklı Regulator Basin, one of Ankara’s drinking water resources. The Ministry also filed a criminal complaint to initiate legal action against those responsible.

While the inspection reports revealed that untreated wastewater overflows occurred in a basin that directly affects Ankara’s drinking water, the incident also brought about public discussions of “infrastructure neglect” and “control weakness”.

INSPECTION WAS MADE IN BOLU, POLLUTION WAS DETECTED IN THE BASIN

According to the Ministry’s statement, during the field inspections carried out by the Bolu Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change teams, it was determined that overflows occurred in the collector line of Gerede Wastewater Treatment Plant affiliated with ASKİ.

The statement included the following statements:

“During the inspections carried out by our Ministry teams, it was determined that the overflows on the wastewater collector line of ASKİ Gerede Wastewater Treatment Plant were mixed into the Gerede Işıklı Regulator Basin, which provides drinking water to Ankara.

“Within the scope of the Environmental Law, an administrative penalty of 2 million 98 thousand TL was imposed on ASKİ General Directorate, and a criminal complaint was filed against those responsible to the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.”

During the inspections, it was reported that untreated wastewater was directly mixed into the drinking water basin.

OVERFLOW AT THREE DIFFERENT POINTS

During the investigations, it was determined that overflows occurred in Yazıkara Village, Üçpınar Village and Ümitköy locations on the collector line. While experts remind that drinking water basins are the areas that need to be protected most strictly, they point out that overflows pose a serious environmental risk.

Despite the clear provisions of the legislation on the protection of drinking water resources, the fact that wastewater was mixed into the basin brought into question the adequacy of infrastructure maintenance and control processes.