Politics
Key witness testifies over bribery scheme in Istanbul municipality case
A contractor testifying in a wide-ranging corruption and bribery trial involving Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) officials alleged in court that bribes were paid in connection with municipal tenders and project payments, saying the system operated through informal arrangements involving cash, apartments and commercial units.
Adem Soytekin, a contractor listed in the case file as an “organizing member,” gave testimony on the 28th day of proceedings in a case involving 414 defendants, including 92 who are in custody. The case centers on allegations of corruption, bribery and organized criminal activity linked to the municipality during the tenure of former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.
Soytekin, who benefited from effective remorse provisions, told the court he decided to cooperate after he was “left alone” by the municipality. He alleged that contractors were pressured to make payments in order to receive money owed to them for work carried out on municipal projects.
“I paid bribes in exchange for tenders. This is how the system works,” Soytekin was quoted as saying in court.
According to Soytekin’s testimony, the general manager of IBB’s real estate subsidy KIPTAŞ, Ali Kurt, allegedly demanded $500,000 from him in connection with project payments. Soytekin said he did not have the full amount in cash at the time and asked an associate to collect $400,000, later completing the sum himself. He alleged that the money was delivered to Kurt through Murat Eren.
Soytekin said contractors believed they would not receive the payments they were owed unless they complied with the demand.
“If we had not given the money they wanted, we would not have received the money we were entitled to on time,” Soytekin told the court. “It was made clear to us that if the requested money was not paid, the funds that should have been transferred to contractors from KIPTAŞ accounts would not be sent to us for a long time.”
Soytekin also described what he called an informal payment and offsetting system inside the municipality. He said contractors were directed to build nurseries, cultural centers and dormitories, then collect their receivables through checks, apartments, shops or cash from third parties.
In another part of his testimony, Soytekin said three apartments in the Deniz Istanbul Project’s Mercan residences were transferred to his company in February 2020 without direct payment. He claimed the apartments were given in return for renovation work at the CHP’s Istanbul provincial headquarters in the Ayazağa district, a building previously linked in public debate to footage showing cash counting.
Soytekin further said municipalities often do not construct public buildings solely through their own resources, adding that projects are sometimes carried out under what he described as “voluntary donations.”
During questioning, the presiding judge asked Soytekin about his earlier statement that $1.5 million had been sent to Kurt. Soytekin initially did not provide details, prompting the judge to say the court was having difficulty communicating with him.
“Bribe, Mr. President, bribe,” Soytekin replied.
The corruption investigation into Imamoğlu, who was suspended from his post as Istanbul metropolitan mayor and jailed, was completed with the preparation of a 3,809-page indictment on Nov. 11, 2025.
In the indictment, he is identified as the alleged “leader of a criminal organization” and is accused of several offenses, including establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes, bribery, laundering criminal proceeds, fraud against public institutions and organizations, recording personal data, illegally obtaining and disseminating personal data, concealing criminal evidence, obstructing communications, damaging public property, receiving bribes, publicly spreading misleading information, extortion, laundering assets derived from crime, rigging tenders, deliberately polluting the environment, violating the Tax Procedure Law, violating the Forestry Law and violating the Mining Law.
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts.
The first hearing was held on Monday, March 9. Since the start of the trial, 36 defendants have presented their defenses. No hearing was held on Friday, while proceedings continue four days a week.
The “controlled coup” lie quickly spread online and, at one point, even found its way into opposition propaganda. On the 10th anniversary of the July 15, 2016, coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), security sources say the contingency plan was created by the group to dodge the blame for their role in the attempt that killed 253 people.
Although its attempt ultimately failed due to unprecedented public resistance, for decades, FETÖ managed to run an infiltration scheme, planting its members into the state institutions. FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen had once said that having a member in the military was worth the work of “ten colleges,” referring to FETÖ’s global school network, which also served as recruitment hubs for the group.
Before the 2016 coup attempt, FETÖ used its infiltrators in law enforcement and the judiciary to carry out similar operations targeting public officials, including a so-called anti-graft probe in 2013 and a plot to imprison the intelligence chief. It was designated as a security threat following the December 2013 coup attempts seeking to imprison government officials, and authorities closed in on FETÖ’s secret network in the army. The 2016 coup attempt was also a scheme to stop plans to weed out FETÖ members from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). Having learned that infiltrators in the army would be expelled in an August 2016 meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAŞ), FETÖ launched its putsch bid on July 15.
Security sources said that Enver Altaylı was one of the individuals who had worked for FETÖ for many years and was behind the terrorist group’s disinformation campaign on “controlled coup” or that anti-coup authorities deliberately let the attempt proceed before intervention.
“FETÖ once again resorted to its well-established tactics of slander and attributing its own actions to others following the failed coup attempt. Anticipating the possibility that the coup could fail, the organization activated its ‘Plan B’ by promoting the allegation that the events of July 15 were a ‘controlled coup.’ The architect of this plan was Enver Altaylı, who for years acted as a proxy for foreign intelligence services and appeared behind numerous operations. Altaylı maintained contact with dozens of fugitive former military officers affiliated with FETÖ abroad and established a network among them. He is also known to have had a long-standing relationship with Mustafa Özcan, one of FETÖ’s most senior and influential figures,” sources said.
Altaylı, an intelligence officer who once worked at the Soviet desk of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), was sentenced in 2021 by a Turkish court for his links to FETÖ. Altaylı, author of several books and a former columnist, had close ties with Ruzi Nazar, an Uzbek intelligence officer who worked for the CIA, and penned a book about the latter’s life.
During an investigation into his work after the coup attempt, authorities discovered that in 2017, Altaylı was working on a report he called “A Search For Truth” with input from FETÖ-linked military officers, aiming to disseminate the “controlled coup” narrative. The report was eventually released on the website of the Stockholm Center for Freedom, a group controlled by FETÖ. It served as the basis of FETÖ propaganda that basically claimed that the coup attempt was staged.
“The ‘controlled coup’ narrative, jointly produced by FETÖ and Enver Altaylı as the organization’s Plan B, later became political material for some who accepted it as true. This will remain one of the most unfortunate examples of falling into the trap laid by the organization and will be condemned in history and in the conscience of the Turkish nation,” sources said.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) stood behind the narrative. Its leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who shunned joining public resistance against the putschists, endorsed the narrative and touted it as legitimate, claiming that the government was aware of the coup plot and the coup itself was “controlled.”
Sources say Altaylı was also active in other plots against the government, including the Gezi Park riots of 2013 and the notorious “MIT trucks” case orchestrated by FETÖ, which declared war on Turkish intelligence and also fed the propaganda that Türkiye was supporting the terrorist group Daesh. After the 2016 coup attempt, Altaylı joined former military officers linked to FETÖ to spread the FETÖ propaganda internationally.
“Anticipating failure, FETÖ transformed its long-running campaigns portraying Türkiye as ‘radical Islamist’ and ‘supportive of Daesh’ into a broader disinformation campaign after July 15. Fabricated reports prepared by fugitive FETÖ coup plotters were circulated among influential figures and institutions in various countries, again with the approval of Enver Altaylı. Evidence presented during Altaylı’s trial showed that he acted as an intermediary between senior FETÖ leaders and foreign actors in efforts to undermine Türkiye’s legitimate government. A document recovered from his computer, described as a ‘bloody chaos plan,’ caused widespread shock. Similar documents were also found in the possession of several coup plotters,” sources said.
The document outlined plans to incite conflict among the Turkish people and provoke bloodshed. It stated that all opposition groups should be mobilized to take to the streets, that an economic crisis should be engineered, that international pressure should be exerted to halt the flow of funds from Gulf countries to Türkiye, and that a gradual climate of internal conflict could ultimately lead to a change of government. According to the security sources, Altaylı also acted as an adviser in shaping FETÖ’s broader strategy of creating chaos.
“At the same time, FETÖ’s clandestine structures were also known to be planning prison riots and unrest across Türkiye. In addition, notes dated Feb. 18, 2016, recovered from Altaylı’s computer and prepared before the July 15 coup attempt, clearly demonstrated his support for an uprising against the state and the constitutional order,” sources said.
The Turkish capital, Ankara, has boosted its global visibility by hosting a historic NATO summit with historic success, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Monday.
Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, the president lauded the organization of the recent summit, recalling that all necessary measures were taken, from security to transport.
He also said that all leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, responded positively by attending the summit.
“Ankara has increased its international visibility more than ever before by hosting a historic summit with a historic success,” he said of the July 7-8 summit. He conveyed a belief that this could positively reflect on the tourism as well.
Erdoğan also said the summit was “one of the most closely followed NATO summits by the media” compared with previous alliance meetings he had attended, adding that it showcased “the full grandeur of Türkiye’s deep-rooted state tradition.”
He said that at a time when “the old order is in intensive care and the new system is experiencing birth pangs,” the Presidential Complex had become the center of global diplomacy.
Counter-drone center in Konya
The president, at the same time, said that the NATO leaders agreed on the need to remove barriers to defense industry cooperation, noting that the summit’s inaugural Defence Industry Forum drew nearly 1,000 participants.
Erdoğan also said that NATO had decided to establish a Counter-Unmanned Systems Centre of Excellence in the central Turkish province of Konya.
Moreover, he described Trump’s official visit to Türkiye as “highly significant.”
He said he welcomed Trump’s positive remarks about Türkiye and the NATO summit, and that “we will continue working with President Trump to strengthen Turkish-American relations, increase bilateral trade to $100 billion, and promote peace and stability in our region.”
Erdoğan also one more time offered his condolences to Qatar following the death of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, describing him as a visionary leader who played a key role in Qatar’s development and made lasting contributions to strengthening Türkiye-Qatar ties. He praised his support for the Palestinian cause and the broader Muslim world.
Ten years later, the memory of July 15, 2016 coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) is vivid in collective memory. The attempt remained so thanks to an unprecedented public resistance, largely due to a call to the nation by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
This year’s theme of the events marking the Day of Democracy and National Unity (declared such after the putsch bid was quashed) was “Will of The Nation, Victory of Democracy.” The motto is a reminder that the nation finally stepped up to the plate in the face of an illegal intervention in its will for democracy. For those familiar with the coup-filled history of the Republic of Türkiye, the resistance is unique, especially in its nature. Unarmed people took to the streets simply to confront soldiers loyal to FETÖ on July 15, 2016, with nothing to stop the putschists other than their bodies. It was a gambit, inspired by past victories of outnumbered armies and masses last seen during World War I’s legendary Gallipoli campaign and the ensuing War of Independence. Ultimately, it paid off as the putschists, fearing that the attempt would fail without widespread public support, had to surrender.
Ali Fuat Gökçe, professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Gaziantep University, said Türkiye, in the past, faced coup attempts and coups as a country “unfortunately in the category of countries lacking a proper culture of democracy back then.” “Coups have been theft of the national will. The May 27, 1960 coup, military memorandum of March 12, 1971, postmodern coup of February 28, 1997, and the e-memorandum on April 27, 2007, stained the history of democracy in Türkiye,” Gökçe told Daily Sabah.
Gökçe said it was thought that Türkiye would have never seen a coup attempt after the 2007 e-memorandum, “given that the culture of democracy supposedly flourished and lessons were learned from the past, especially in an era where societies are more familiar with what’s happening elsewhere in the world thanks to developing technology and easier access to information, more aware of views (feeding the culture of democracy).”
“Unfortunately, we witnessed that those who blindly followed others resorted to violence to advance their greedy ambitions, to serve the interests of powers supporting them. This time, however, just as people thought that Turkish democracy would falter once again, something unprecedented happened, and the Turkish nation stood for who they elected to run the country, stood its ground for democracy and took to the streets. They set up barricades to save democracy and prevent a division of the country. They were willing to sacrifice their lives for their commitment to democracy. In this sense, July 15 is a turning point in the history of Turkish democracy,” he said.
Reforms after July 15
The coup attempt spelled a definitive end for FETÖ, which was already facing increasing legal scrutiny before July 15, 2016. Tens of thousands of members of the group, including those who managed to disguise their loyalty to FETÖ, were targeted in counterterrorism operations. Above all, the army was largely cleared of FETÖ loyalists in the immediate aftermath of the coup attempt. However, authorities warn that the danger is not completely over, as occasional operations across the country indicate that FETÖ members try to revive their secretive network while the group’s fugitive members abroad enjoy freedom thanks to countries refusing to extradite them despite Türkiye’s repeated requests.
In a bid to weed out FETÖ members infiltrating state institutions, Türkiye made landmark security reforms. Among them were greater civilian oversight over the armed forces. The Ministry of National Defense was given a larger role in overseeing the army rather than the Office of the Chief of the General Staff. Military high schools and academies, which FETÖ had infiltrated and eliminated cadets not loyal to its cause, were shut down and replaced with the National Defense University, which introduced a civilian authority over those schools. The Gendarmerie General Command and Coast Guard Command were transferred to the authority of the Interior Ministry.
Security after July 15
Türkiye also changed its security doctrine and played a more assertive role in eliminating threats to national security.
Sibel Düz, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), said July 15 was not the sole factor for the transformation of Türkiye’s security doctrine, but it sped up the necessary security reforms and institutionalized them. “It was a time when the Syrian civil war escalated, the Daesh threat significantly impacted the region and the terrorist group PKK stepped up its terrorist activities after the end of the reconciliation process,” she recalled.
Düz told Daily Sabah that the most concrete change in Türkiye’s security paradigm was adapting a doctrine based on eliminating security threats at their source, “preventive intervention.” “Türkiye expanded its venue of counterterrorism operations abroad and launched a series of cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq to eliminate the terrorism threat at its source. The Euphrates Shield operation (in Syria), the Claw series of operations in Iraq, for instance, differed from previous ‘in and out’ cross-border operations due to their scope. It is safe to say that Türkiye projected power there by setting up permanent bases, deploying forces, and creating areas cleared of terrorism in terms of logistics. Establishing safe zones in Iraq where the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) exerted control through an inkspot strategy, zones serving as buffer areas near the Turkish border largely prevented infiltration (by terrorist groups into Türkiye).”
She stated that Türkiye’s technology focus in security also shifted in the post-July 15 period. “The momentum in the Turkish defense industry was swiftly translated into counterterrorism operations and the security sector. Unmanned systems, sensor and radar systems increased Türkiye’s situational awareness,” she asserted. Düz links these developments to the neutralization of FETÖ elements within the security bureaucracy/sector who exhibited resistance to technological transformation and created “artificial obstacles.”
Ten years after the July 15 coup attempt in Türkiye, new confessions continue to shed light on the highly organized efforts of the Gülenist Terror Group’s (FETÖ) secret network to ensure the plan’s success and control the narrative, both during and after the coup.
The night of July 15 saw FETÖ’s so-called “secret elders” act in total coordination, according to security sources.
Meanwhile, court records reveal a systematic effort, including messages showing how they aimed to facilitate the coup seamlessly.
One key example is the instructions from FETÖ’s police leader, Temel Alsancak. That night, Alsancak sent a message to FETÖ-affiliated police officers: “Do not resist the soldiers carrying out the coup; do not clash with them.”
This call sought to ensure no resistance, effectively encouraging the country’s surrender to the coup plotters. These orders were later confirmed in confessions and social media posts from FETÖ insiders.
The coordination went beyond the police. FETÖ’s information technology wing organized attacks on broadcasting hubs like TRT, TürkSat and DigiTürk, overseen by civilian engineers who reported to their “elders” in both Ankara and Istanbul.
All FETÖ members worked to secure the coup’s success, including members of the administration who tried to silence public calls to resist in some regions.
Coordination within the organization wasn’t limited to the night of the coup alone. Ebuseleme Gülen, the niece of FETÖ leader Fethullah Gülen, confessed via YouTube that after July 15, vast sums were collected to fund long-term perception campaigns targeting children and youth.
Under Fethullah Gülen’s direct orders, a team led by Adil Öksüz was tasked with developing digital content, including games and animations, to harm President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s reputation and depict the July 15 events as justified and heroic.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday that Türkiye opened a new chapter after the failed July 15, 2016, coup attempt was defeated through public resistance, arguing that subsequent reforms strengthened the country’s democratic and institutional resilience.
Erdoğan made the remarks in a written message sent to a symposium titled “July 15 in Its 10th Year: Political and Legal Dimensions,” organized by the Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) Political and Legal Affairs Department at the party’s headquarters in Ankara.
He said the true intentions of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), which is responsible for the coup attempt, became clear on the night of July 15.
Erdoğan accused the group of exploiting people’s religious and charitable sentiments for four decades under the guise of service, donations and education.
“The successful defeat of the coup attempt through the resistance of our cherished nation opened an entirely new chapter for Türkiye,” Erdoğan noted.
He commemorated the 253 people killed during the coup attempt and expressed gratitude to those who were wounded.
Erdoğan said Türkiye had both removed what he described as a clandestine terrorist network embedded in state institutions and taken measures to safeguard its democracy.
He identified the presidential system of government, introduced following a 2017 referendum, as one of the most significant changes made after the coup attempt.
The president said the system eliminated dual authority within the executive branch, accelerated decision-making and strengthened the state’s ability to manage crises.
He cited Türkiye’s response to the Russia-Ukraine war, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Feb. 6 earthquakes and what he described as the latest Iran-centered crisis as examples of the system’s effectiveness.
Turkish leader also vowed that Türkiye would continue its campaign against FETÖ within the framework of the law.
“We will never take a step back in the fight against FETÖ,” he stressed, adding that authorities would continue working to prevent another attempted coup.
TCG Istanbul, a frigate of the Turkish navy, made a port visit to Syria’s Latakia on Monday, the Ministry of National Defense announced. Aboard it was Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, head of the Turkish Naval Forces Command.
The ministry said it was the first time the navy visited neighboring Syria since the collapse of the Assad regime in 2024.
Latakia has long been a stronghold of Bashar Assad, an avowed enemy of Türkiye, which sought diplomacy with the Assad regime in the first years of the civil war to end the conflict.
After forces led by incumbent President Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew the Baathist regime, Türkiye rekindled relations with Syria, pledging to help with its rebuilding.
Last week, an engineering brigade of the Turkish army set up a 240-meter-long floating bridge on a part of the Euphrates River in Syria’s Deir Az-Zour.
Al-Sharaa was in Türkiye last week, where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the margins of a NATO summit in Ankara.
In 2025, two countries signed a comprehensive security agreement that includes joint military training and exchange of expertise and know-how in matters of security.
Latakia, where the frigate anchored at, also carries significance for Türkiye as a major hub in the Eastern Mediterranean where Turkish interests are abundant. Türkiye has been vigilant against Israel-Greek Cypriot cooperation in the region and seeks to defend the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the divided island, especially in terms of maritime borders where Greek Cypriots seek to exploit hydrocarbon resources unilaterally.
The family of the martyr who could not fit into the coffin spoke to SABAH: July 15 was the night of resurrection
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FETÖ narrative fed disinformation in post-July 15 Türkiye
The family of the martyr who could not fit into the coffin spoke to SABAH: July 15 was the night of resurrection
Stripe, Advent reportedly offer to buy PayPal for over $53 billion
FETÖ narrative fed disinformation in post-July 15 Türkiye
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