Within the framework of the comprehensive investigation carried out by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against Ataşehir Municipality, on April 18, Financial Crimes Department teams carried out simultaneous operations at 45 different addresses and 20 people were detained. While the detainees were being referred to the courthouse, the contractor Hümeyra Ökcun, who was determined to have paid the bribe, stated that she wanted to be a confessor and shared the payments she made between 2024-2026 with the prosecutor’s office.

IF YOU DON’T GIVE, YOU CAN’T WORK

In his statement, Ökcün stated that the turning point of the process was the critical meeting he had with Onursal Adıgüzel. He claimed that he reacted when he was not given a settlement by saying “I gave all the money you wanted, but you do not give me my settlement”. In response, Adıgüzel first presented a justification for expropriation and then put pressure on him by saying “If this issue is not resolved, how will you work in other places?” He stated that after this meeting, the process became more harsh and systematic.

He said that when he wanted to get a building renovation license in 2024 for the project, which started in 2021 and covers an area of ​​130 thousand square meters, he was asked for 2 million dollars through the architect directed by the municipality. He stated that this request was conveyed through architect Erhan Çelebi, that he was pressured by saying “If you do not give it, you cannot get a license for 2 years” and that he had to pay after resisting for about 6 months.

Ökcün claimed that these payments were delivered to people connected to Adıgüzel and Deputy Mayor Birkan Birol Yıldız. The contractor stated that he made a total payment of 3 million 926 thousand dollars, 180 thousand euros and 150 thousand pounds between November 8, 2024 and January 8, 2026, which corresponds to approximately 190 million liras, and all payments were delivered by hand and recorded. He also added that the financial burden, including fees and other items, reached approximately $10 million.

Ökcün explained that the municipal police tried to shut down the concrete plant and that this pressure intensified during periods when payment was not made. He stated that Deputy Mayor Yıldız came to the construction site and took a step back at one stage, and that the demands continued systematically.

THEY WANTED IT IN POUNDS

He also said that he hosted Birkan Birol Yıldız and his wife on his boat in Bodrum, where derogatory statements were made towards him.

Stating that he was informed that a fee of 265 million TL was charged during the settlement process and that this amount was legalized by the decision of the parliament, Ökcün stated that he demanded the money back when he could not receive a settlement despite the 70 million TL he paid. He claimed that some of the payments were requested in British pounds, saying “the President loves the pound”, and that hundreds of thousands of liras worth of grocery gift cards and products such as iPhones and iPads were requested and delivered with notepads.

I WAS THREATENED FOR STATEMENT
Making a remarkable statement at the end of his statement, Ökcün stated that he was threatened after the process, that he was pressured to change his statement, and that he was worried about the safety of both himself and his family. The suspect’s lawyers argued that their client submitted all information and documents to clarify the investigation and that the real victim was the contractor.

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli spoke at his party’s GNAT Group Meeting yesterday. Bahçeli said:

YOUTH SHOULD NOT BE Stuck BETWEEN THE TEST AND THE TASTE: The tragic events that took place in Şanlıurfa and subsequently in Kahramanmaraş cannot be glossed over with shallow, superficial and one-dimensional evaluations. Grave developments have opened deep cracks in conscience. It is essential to consider the process together with all its causes, consequences and background developments. Education is directly a matter of national survival. Turkish youth should not be stuck between the test and the toast, forced to fit their dreams into five options, running from exam to exam, accumulating points, and missing out on life while chasing certificates.

THEY LEFT THE COMMUNICATION AREA: Our children, our future are under digital siege. The danger we face is not only screen addiction, but also a climate of digital corruption that multiplies evil, encourages violence, legitimizes crime, exploits pain, and targets the pure conscience of our children. The solution is only the presence of a security guard at the school gate, not cameras. We will be among those who root out the issue, not those who cover it up. There is no peace for us without strengthening the family, restoring schools to their primary role of providing education and character building, and strengthening guidance and psychosocial support mechanisms.

OPPOSITION’S TRANSCRIPT: Muddying the waters with rumors of midterm or early elections, trying to cast a shadow over the will of our nation, confusing the agenda with ballot box calculations are nothing more than petty ambitions paralyzing the mind. The untimely election calls, which have been repeated endlessly in recent days, are the tricks of the short-sighted opposition.

ELECTION IS NOT A TOY: The election is not a toy that can be put forward with political acrobatics and artificial crisis touts. Those who insist on elections are talking about their own worries, not about the people’s problems. It is a futile effort for those who have misplaced and untimely bursts of self-confidence to try to determine Türkiye’s agenda. It is clear when the ballot box will speak, its judgment will be manifested when the time comes. There will be no room for intermediate formulas, detours and arbitrary games. We do not play with Türkiye’s future, we do not open stability to discussion.

TERRORISM-FREE TURKEY’S LIFE SAFETY: The People’s Alliance is the insurance of Türkiye, a leading country that is free from terrorism, has broken through internal and external sieges, and has escaped the economic bottleneck. The terror-free Türkiye process means the safety of our children’s lives, the inviolability of our borders, the solidity of our internal front, the preservation of our national unity, and the complete elimination of the bloody and dark obstacles and ambitions in front of the Republic of Turkey.

Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, attended the meeting titled “Protection of Children in Digital Environments: International Policy and Practice Sharing”, organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Office of the Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General on Violence Against Children and UNICEF. Emphasizing that the risks faced by children have reached an alarming level, First Lady Erdoğan said the following in her speech:

ONLINE ABUSE: Children can access information and millions of resources in the digital world with a “click”. But unfortunately, in the same world, all kinds of abuse reach children at the same speed, that is, with a click. Studies show that globally, more than 300 million children are subjected to online abuse and harassment annually. The fact that the frequency of these cases drops to 1 every 10 seconds clearly reveals the extent of this ‘hidden epidemic’ that covers every country, every household and every school.

OBSTACLE DUE TO CENSORSHIP: Unfortunately, as adults, we have been pushed out of this world with the label of digital immigrants placed on us. Not only has our right to draw boundaries to the digital world, where children are declared native, been taken away from us, but unfortunately every step taken within this framework has been blocked with the allegation of censorship. Whenever parents voiced their concerns, they were accused of being behind the times. Today, we are paying the price of this limitlessness with the damages that occur in children’s spiritual, mental, cognitive, social and physical development.

INVITATION TO THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Up to 8.5 hours of screen time filled with social media and computer games means a digital vegetative state. The ‘Convention on Children’s Rights in the Digital World’ prepared by our Ministry of Family is an important call put forward on an international scale, aiming to protect, support and empower children in digital environments. On this occasion, I invite all stakeholders to sign this agreement. Let’s not forget that making the digital world safer for children is the joint responsibility of not only families but also public institutions, technology companies, international organizations and the media industry. It is a must, especially for technology companies, to be accountable and make child-friendly designs. Fortunately, there is a global awakening regarding age restrictions on social media.

WE NEED SOLID BORDERS

Erdoğan said, “If we are going to pull our children out of the eerie backstreets of the digital world and raise them as strong and conscious young people who will shoulder the future, we must do this by working hand in hand with parents. There are several formulas for this. The first of these is the reconstruction of the borders destroyed by digitalization. Because the basis of many problems that humanity cannot overcome in our age is the equation of limitlessness with freedom. While digitalization increases efficiency in many areas, from business processes to daily life, if the rope goes out of hand, our children’s lives will suddenly become digital.” “It can be invaded by nannies, digital friends, digital playgrounds, so we need solid boundaries,” he said.

FAMILY, OUR ONLY SHELTER

Emine Erdoğan said, “I am sure that every parent knows very well the dynamics of this job and where the boundaries should be drawn. Because parenting is the oldest profession in the world. Today, if a child wants to get up and go out alone in the middle of the night, would we allow him? Would we allow someone he does not know to take him by the hand? Or would we allow him to gamble, be exposed to perverted propaganda, or attempt something that would put his life at risk? Our common answer to all of these will, of course, be ‘No’. In that case, our children are in digital environments.” “Let’s draw safe boundaries for them, without forgetting that they may face the same dangers. Another solution that will make digital environments safe for children is strengthened family communication. So, let’s not give up on communicating face to face, heart to heart, and spending time together as a family. It is a fact that the family is our only shelter against the various storms of life today, as it was yesterday.”

Within the scope of the ‘Bribery’ investigation against Uşak Municipality carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office; An investigation was initiated against the Uşak Municipality regarding the allegations of rigging tenders, demanding bribes from tradesmen for certain irregular works and transactions, collecting large amounts of money under the name of aid and donations to Uşakspor, bringing cash to the mayor’s office under the name of donations, senior managers in the municipality spending money in entertainment venues and paying these expenses from the municipal budget through food bills under the name of entertainment expenses.

29 SUSPECTS WERE REFERRED TO THE COURTHOUSE

29 suspects were detained in simultaneous operations held in Istanbul, Uşak and Izmir. Detained Uşakspor President Özhan Özgöbek and CHP Uşak Provincial Chairman Celalettin Çoban, Fahreddin Altundal, Geylani Altundal, Ferhat Cucu, Umut Demir, Tolga Ergül, Sefa Taşcı, Kadir Cantürk, İsmet Yıldız, Rahmi Altundal, Cumali Altundal, Mustafa Arslan, Mehmet Arslan, Rasim Köse, Gürcan Demir, Ahmet Arslan, Ali Arı, Ahmet Yıldız, Akın Cantürk, Ulaş Küçükakın, Kemalettin Doğan, Adem Tuğrul Kaya, Cemal Ak, Ali Rıza Demir, Ceren Yeşildağ, Vedat Bayram, Mehmet Bayram, Göksu Bayram were sent to the courthouse in the morning after their procedures at the Istanbul Police Department and a health check.

9 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED

Within the scope of the investigation, 9 people, including the mayor Özkan Yalım, who was previously suspended from his duty, were arrested.

The ‘Aziz İhsan Aktaş Criminal Organization’ case was heard by the Istanbul 1st High Criminal Court in the courtroom opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Institution. Some detained defendants, including Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara and Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar, who were suspended from duty after their arrest, attended the hearing. Some undetained defendants, including Aziz İhsan Aktaş, were also present at the hearing.

REQUEST FOR RELEASE FOR 3 DEFENDANTS IN THE INTERVIEW

The prosecutor, who requested the release of the detained defendants Ferit Tutşi, Support Services Manager at Beşiktaş Municipality, Çağdaş Ateşci, Cleaning Affairs Manager at Beşiktaş Municipality, and Gülşah Ocak, Beşiktaş Municipality staff member, considering the nature and nature of the crime charged against them and the time they spent in detention, and the strong suspicion of crime of 14 defendants, including Rıza Akpolat, Kadir Aydar, Utku Caner Çaykara and Oya Tekin, with the current state of evidence. He requested that their detention be continued due to the nature and nature of the crimes charged against them.

Following the attacks in schools in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa, 314 non-governmental organizations from 81 provinces across Türkiye published a joint statement. In the text signed by national and local NGOs, the attacks were harshly condemned, while condolences were expressed to the students who lost their lives and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured. In the statement, attention was also drawn to the recent discussions regarding the Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin. NGOs stated that some circles developed discourses targeting Minister Tekin after the events and argued that this was an “ideological orientation”.

VALUES ARE TARGETED

NGO representatives claimed in their statements that the emphasis on values ​​in education was targeted. In the text, which draws attention to the importance of strengthening concepts such as justice, compassion and solidarity in schools within the scope of the Türkiye Century Education Model, it is stated that this approach is tried to be weakened. The statement also made the following evaluations regarding the source of the violent incidents:

1-Associating a murderer with Islam means attributing the murder to religion. This is against both reason, science and conscience. The attackers’ mental world is not about the Ramadan table; It has been shaped by the ideology of violence nurtured in the dark corners of social media.

2-The majority of Anatolian people are Muslims. Keeping Ramadan alive in the schools of this nation’s children; It is not an obligation, it is a registration of the free choice of this nation. It is the greatest demand of our people to deliver mercy, compassion and solidarity to the hearts of needy people in the heart of Maarif. As a matter of fact, it happened.

3-Dear Minister Yusuf Tekin is a faithful statesman who protects the values ​​of this nation and tries to rebuild the national identity and spiritual heritage in education. The attack carried out through him was not only against the minister; It is an attack on the nation of 85 million people it represents. 4-Violence is not caused by religion; It feeds on atheism, lack of spirituality, family disintegration, and the vulnerability of generations who cannot be raised without screens. The solution is not to remove spiritual values ​​and Ramadan activities in schools; Our aim is to strengthen the moral ground, strengthen family ties and save our youth from the clutches of digital games and social media violence culture.

5-Those who commit this opportunistic political abuse; We invite those who choose to sharpen their pencils on a day when they should be mourning to be held accountable before their conscience, our nation and history.

RESPONSIBILITY MUST BE CORRECTLY DEFINED

The text emphasized that individual crimes should not be generalized based on social values ​​and stated, “Attributing the crime committed by a person to a belief or social group is dangerous both scientifically and socially.” NGOs stated that discussions on education policies should be handled with common sense and called for social sensitivities not to be exploited.

REQUESTS ARE ALSO LISTED

The joint statement also included calls to authorized institutions:

-Strengthening school security both physically and psychologically

-Taking more effective measures against violent digital platforms

-Dissemination of social policies that support family structure

-Increasing controls to protect children from harmful content