VELİ AĞBABA, HIS DRIVER AND COUNCIL EMPLOYEES ARE ON FILE

In the arrest request, it was stated that Gökhan Cumalı, who was detained in another investigation file, was the driver of Turgut Koç and Veli Ağbaba. In the referral letter, it was noted that there were money inflows into Gökhan Cumalı’s account by Veli Ağbaba, Turgut Koç and Veli Ağbaba’s parliamentary employee Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan.

5 SEPARATE MONEY TRANSFERS TO COUNCIL EMPLOYEES

In the referral letter, it was stated that Turgut Koç sent money to Veli Ağbaba’s parliamentary employee Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan on different dates. Koç’s; It was determined that he sent 25 thousand TL on January 9, 2023, 10 thousand TL on August 15, 2023, 25 thousand TL on September 12, 2023, 100 thousand TL on July 4, 2024, and 100 thousand TL on July 26, 2024. It was also stated that Turgut Koç sent a lot of money to Gökhan Cumalı.

CONFESSION FROM TURGUT KOÇ “BROTHER VELI ASKED FOR MONEY”

According to the referral letter, Turgut Koç, who was arrested from another file, admitted in his statement at the prosecutor’s office that Veli Ağbaba asked him for money and that’s why he corresponded.
The prosecutor’s office stated that it was also determined that there were many photographs of Turgut Koç with Veli Ağbaba in his digital materials.

“WHERE IS THE MONEY” CORRESPONDENCE WAS ALSO IN THE FILE

Remarkable findings were also found in the examination of Gökhan Cumalı’s phone numbers. It was stated that there were conversations about money with Veli Ağbaba on Gökhan Cumalı’s phone. Accordingly, it was recorded that on January 16, 2024, Veli Ağbaba asked “where is the money?”, and in the WhatsApp correspondence with Veli Ağbaba on March 4, 2024, correspondence and photographs regarding 100 thousand dollars, which were considered to be in a cargo bag, were detected.

MUNICIPAL TENDERS AND ILLEGAL AGREEMENT CLAIM

By evaluating the evidence in the file together, the prosecutor’s office came to the conclusion that Turgut Koç, through Veli Ağbaba, illegally agreed to tender and purchase and sale works from the municipalities in return for some financial benefits. In the referral letter, it was also stated that Turgut Koç acted as an intermediary for others to obtain tenders and purchasing and sales works, and that they established a company together with Gökhan Cumalı and received a tender from the municipality.

A PART OF THE ILLEGAL PROFIT WAS SENT TO THE PRIVATE CENTER, RELATIVE AND DRIVER

In the arrest request, it was stated that it was determined from the collective evidence that Turgut Koç sent some of the financial benefit he was considered to have earned illegally to Veli Ağbaba’s private secretary, his relatives and his driver. The prosecutor’s office evaluated these money movements as important for the investigation. In the article, it was especially emphasized that there was no kinship bond between Turgut Koç and Ahmet Can Ağbaba. The prosecutor’s office evaluated that Ahmet Can Ağbaba provided himself with a financial benefit of 150 thousand TL by mediating influence peddling.

Murat Kocatürk was 35 years old on July 15, 2016. He was the father of two boys, one 8 years old and the other 12 years old. He lived with his father Bayram Kocatürk in Fatih Kocamustafapaşa.

He learned about the treacherous coup attempt from television. Upon President Erdoğan’s call, “I invite our nation to the squares,” he performed ablution and went to Saraçhane. While resisting in front of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), which was occupied by the coup plotters, he drank the sherbet of martyrdom as the target of treacherous bullets.

Baba Bayram Kocatürk (76), who spent 10 years after his son, explained his feelings as follows: My son used to say ‘I will be a martyr’ since he was little. When he heard our President’s call on the air, he got up without hesitation, performed his ablution and went to Saraçhane. I was also watching the images of the occupation of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the resistance of the nation on television. People were carrying a man in a checkered shirt who was shot on air. My son was also wearing a checkered shirt. For a moment, I thought to myself: This is definitely my son. I went out to the terrace and prayed for the morning by reading the Quran. Around noon, they called me from Gaziosmanpaşa Police Station and informed me of my son’s martyrdom. I was so sad, I cried. But my son had reached his dream of martyrdom. I was proud of him at that moment. God granted him this martyrdom because he was sincere in his desire to defend his homeland.

THAT NIGHT THE FEAR WAS AWAY

He explained what happened in the last 10 years with the following feelings: “The July 15 coup attempt was won with the unwavering wisdom of our President, the prayers of the friends of God, and the struggle of the people of war. The spirit that rose in Bedir, Manzikert and most recently in Çanakkale was resurrected on July 15, 100 years later. That night, fear was lifted, the brave men rushed to martyrdom. God put fear into the hearts of the oppressors. He sent His peace.” “There were martyrs who listened and brave men who rushed to martyrdom with a salute. My two grandchildren were orphaned, but a nation woke up.”

Foreign mission representatives of NATO member countries in Ankara gave a message of “unity and solidarity” regarding the “2026 NATO Ankara Summit” to be held on July 7-8.

Italian Ambassador to Ankara Giuseppe Manzo, Dutch Ambassador to Ankara Joep Wijnands, Polish Ambassador to Ankara Maciej Lang, Bulgarian Ambassador to Ankara Anguel Tcholakov and Latvian Ambassador to Ankara Bahtijors Hasans made evaluations to AA about the NATO Ankara Summit to be held on 7-8 July.

Italy’s Ambassador to Ankara, Manzo, stated that the Ankara Summit was held at a critical time for common security and said, “We are grateful for Türkiye’s leadership, we support it and we are determined to work together for a successful summit that will address all the threats we face.” he said.

Referring to the deployment of an Italian SAMP/T Air Defense System to strengthen the air defense of the Alliance, Manzo emphasized that he was proud to actively contribute to the security of friend and ally Türkiye.

“Türkiye’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE ALLIANCE IS DEFINITELY VERY IMPORTANT”

Dutch Ambassador to Ankara Wijnands reminded that the NATO Ankara Summit was held in The Hague in 2025 and said that the summit will be held in Ankara this year as well.

Some ambassadors of NATO countries in Ankara evaluated the NATO Ankara Summit | Video

Emphasizing that the summit in The Hague is aimed at increasing the financial obligations of the allies and allocating more budget for joint defense, Wijnands said, “This year, it will be about how and in what area we will use this budget.” he said.

Pointing out that security is never achieved automatically, Wijnands said, “Turkey knows this very well in the volatile region it is in. Türkiye’s contribution to the Alliance, which has the 2nd largest armed forces in NATO and a large defense industry, is absolutely very important.” he said.

Wijnands pointed out that their strongest asset is unity, and therefore, at the Ankara Summit, they should demonstrate an unwavering determination towards collective defense, support for Kiev in the Russia-Ukraine War and the common fight against terrorism.

“When we remain united, we are the strongest alliance in the world,” Wijnands concluded. He concluded with the statement:

“NATO’S UNSHAKEABLE WILL”

Poland’s Ambassador to Ankara, Lang, underlined that the summit was an “exceptional” meeting that was not only important for Ankara but also of paramount importance for the Alliance as a whole.

On this occasion, Lang expressed his gratitude to the Turkish hosts for their superior efforts, hospitality, sincere cooperation and exemplary coordination and capabilities, and said, “I have full faith that the message of unity and solidarity from Ankara will once again confirm NATO’s unshakable will and determination to act jointly in the face of changing security conditions.” he said.

Lang wished that the summit would be beneficial and productive for the entire Alliance.

“TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER”

Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Ankara, Tcholakov, said:

“At a time when uncertainties, unprecedented threats and challenges to the international order are increasing, this summit offers an extremely valuable and important opportunity to clearly reaffirm our unity among allies, demonstrate our determination and solidarity, and demonstrate our unwavering commitment to our fundamental principles and values. We are stronger together.”

“THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE STAND TOGETHER AND NATO’S UNITY IS VITALLY IMPORTANT”

Latvia’s Ambassador to Ankara Hasans pointed out that the NATO Ankara Summit to be held on July 7-8 is an opportunity to show that the commitments made have been fulfilled concretely, and said that they have already seen some progress.

Reminding that his country is the first ally to legally commit to allocating at least 5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense starting from 2027, Hasans said:

“This demonstrates our determination. The summit should reaffirm NATO’s security, unity, collective defence, the strengthening of Article 5 and transatlantic ties. Allies are increasing defense spending as Russia, in addition to terrorism, remains the greatest threat to the transatlantic region. Europe and Canada are already doing more.”

Emphasizing the need to continue strengthening the defense industry, Hasans said, “The support given to Ukraine is of vital importance, because Ukraine’s security directly contributes to the security of the entire transatlantic area.” he said.

Pointing out that the support should be predictable and sustainable in the long term, Hasans said, “Latvia has been allocating 0.25 percent of its GDP to Ukraine for several years and we will continue this. The important thing is that we stand together and the unity of NATO is vital.” he said.

“WE ENCOURAGE OUR INVESTORS TO DO MORE ACTIVITIES IN PAKISTAN”

Stating that their solidarity with Pakistan continues in every field, President Erdoğan said, “Today, we discussed the steps we can take to further develop our trade and investment relations in a way that befits this solidarity. We confirmed our goal of increasing our trade volume to the level of 5 billion dollars that we previously determined. Our ministries of commerce are working on the special economic zone planned to be established especially for our business people in Karachi. Similarly, negotiations are continuing on expanding the scope of our preferential trade agreement.” he said.

Stating that he believes that the business forum attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif today will contribute to their relations in terms of investment and trade, Erdoğan said:

“We also encourage our investors to engage in more activities in Pakistan. Our cooperation in the field of defense industry, which is one of the most important elements of our economic relations, is developing day by day with new projects. I believe that these projects, which we are implementing step by step, will strengthen Pakistan’s power. We want to deepen our cooperation with Pakistan in the fields of energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technologies. Today, we confirmed our determination once again with the Prime Minister.”

President Erdoğan wished that today’s meetings and the decisions they made would be beneficial.

SHERIFF: Türkiye HAS ALWAYS BEEN BY US

Sharif, who made a statement at the joint press conference, used the following statements:

I would like to thank my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. It is always a great pleasure to visit Istanbul. A city that brings together East and West. Young women, girls and mothers made intense efforts in the Turkish War of Independence. Our people also helped them. There has always been such solidarity between the two countries.

Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif came to Türkiye as the guest of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. President Erdoğan and Şerif held a bilateral meeting at Vahdettin Mansion in Istanbul. The meeting lasted about an hour.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Director of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) İbrahim Kalın, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and Chief Security and Foreign Policy Advisor to the President Akif Çağatay Kılıç were present at the meeting, which was closed to the press.

Following the bilateral meeting, the leaders held a meeting between delegations.

Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran stated that they welcomed Pakistani Prime Minister Şerif in Istanbul. Duran gave information about the meeting between Şerif and President Erdoğan in his post on his social media account.

Duran said, “During the meetings, relations between Turkey and Pakistan, especially trade and investments, will be reviewed in all aspects, and views will be exchanged on regional and global developments. A Business Forum is also planned to be held within the scope of the visit.”

“Türkiye IS ONE OF PAKISTAN’S MOST LOYAL ALLIES”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif attended the “Türkiye-Pakistan Business Forum” held in Istanbul and made a speech. Sharif stated that it was a great pleasure to be in Istanbul and said, “Turkey is one of Pakistan’s most loyal allies around the world. This brotherly bond between the two countries dates back centuries. In fact, this bond dates back long before the establishment of Pakistan in 1947.” he said.

Sharif pointed out that the ideas discussed within the scope of the forum should be implemented for the benefit of the two countries and continued as follows:

“The time has come when Pakistan, with the great support of my dear brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, can mediate peace between the USA and Iran. This was not an easy task, it was quite challenging. Without the sincere support of President Erdogan and other friendly and brotherly countries, this task would have been almost impossible. But Alhamdulillah, we have reached this point today.”

Sharif stated that the ceasefire came into force under the mediation of Pakistan and said, “The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was signed by US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and me, representing Pakistan as a mediator. Now, we should take advantage of this opportunity and explore the enormous potential in this peace process. Not only for our bilateral interests, but for the entire region.” he said.

Emphasizing that they came together to evaluate opportunities within the scope of the forum, Şerif said, “Your industrial structure has been completely transformed. Today, your automobile industry is at the same level as Europe. So are your textile, livestock and agriculture sectors. This has been a kind of small miracle that has happened in the last 20 years under the leadership of President Erdoğan. We are here today so that we can learn from your experiences and benefit from your great success stories.” made his assessment.

Sharif stated that a special zone will be allocated to Turkish investors within the Karachi Industrial Park.

Pointing out the richness of his country in terms of rare mineral resources, Şerif said, “Now is the time to discover these natural resources, thanks to our joint cooperation. I think there is no limit.” he said.

“Türkiye STANDED LIKE A ROCK BY PAKISTAN”

Sharif pointed out that 60 percent of Pakistan’s population of 240 million is in the 15-30 age group, and said that the young population power is quite high.

Stating that every challenge also contains an opportunity, Sharif said that the size of Pakistan’s young population can be turned into an economic advantage with artificial intelligence-focused initiatives and technology investments.

Sharif emphasized that Pakistan is carrying out comprehensive reforms in the energy sector and Türkiye provides strong support in this process.

Stating that President Erdoğan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar and the Turkish business world are willing to invest in Pakistan, Şerif noted that their priority is inter-company collaborations, and if this is not possible, inter-governmental models can also be put into effect.

Sharif pointed out that Pakistan and Türkiye have stood by each other in difficult times throughout history and said:

“Just last year, when a war was imposed on Pakistan for no fault of ours and we had to defend our land, the honor and dignity of our country, our armed forces, those brave troops under the command of (Pakistan Land Forces Commander) Marshal Asim Munir, defeated our enemy in an unprecedented way within 4 to 5 days. And at that time, among the few brother countries, who was supporting Pakistan; Turkey. Turkey stood like a rock next to Pakistan.”

Stating that Türkiye faced some commercial losses for this reason, Şerif said, “They say ‘it doesn’t matter if we are helping or supporting a brother. There are also financial losses in this process. This is not a price.’ they said. he said.

Sharif expressed his respect for President Erdoğan and underlined that he wanted to take the relations between the two countries even further under his leadership.

Şerif called for the presentations and speeches made at the conference to turn into concrete results and said:

“Let these comments, presentations, words and speeches be translated into action and implemented with lightning speed, so that we can not only achieve concrete results, but also declare to the whole world that this friendship, built on the foundations of mutual trust, respect and dignity, has turned into a kind of economic cooperation, an economic transformation that the world has never seen before. If we are ready to accept this challenge, then I can assure you that nothing can stand in our way. Neither this Bosphorus, nor the mountains, nor the largest sea in the world.”

AFAD President Ali Hamza Pehlivan met with Turkish search and rescue teams working in Venezuela and reiterated Türkiye’s support to Venezuela.

The wrestler met online with Turkish search and rescue teams working in the city of La Guaira, which was most affected by the earthquake in Venezuela. At the meeting attended by Turkish Armed Forces Humanitarian Aid Brigade Commander Brigadier General Mehmet Bahtiyar and AFAD Denizli Deputy Provincial Director Haluk Önay Erten, Pehlivan talked about AFAD’s work in Venezuela.

Pehlivan said, “We work with an understanding for our people in our country and for humanity beyond our borders. We are in communication with 84 countries on 5 continents on humanitarian aid and disaster management. We strive to be with people in need of support wherever they are in the world.” he said.

Pehlivan thanked the Turkish search and rescue teams in Venezuela and underlined that they are in solidarity with Venezuela.

Denizli Deputy Provincial Director Haluk Erten and Humanitarian Aid Brigade Commander Brigadier General Bahtiyar also talked about the search and rescue efforts in Venezuela.

Within the scope of the corruption investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, CHP Malatya Deputy Veli Ağbaba’s nephew Ahmet Can Ağbaba and Çankaya Mayor Hüseyin Can Güner’s private secretary and close friend Sadık Can Köksal were detained. The statements of both of them at the prosecutor’s office have been completed.

MONEY INPUT FROM UNKNOWN SOURCE
In the statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was stated that it was determined that large amounts of money had been transferred to Yeğen Ağbaba’s account from an unknown source.

ARREST REQUEST FOR BOTH NAMES
Ahmet Can Ağbaba, the nephew of CHP Malatya Deputy Veli Ağbaba, who was detained within the scope of the corruption investigation, and Sadık Can Köksal, the private secretary and close friend of Çankaya Mayor Hüseyin Can Güner, who was detained within the scope of the drug – prostitution investigation, were referred to the court with a request for arrest after their statement at the prosecutor’s office.

(Image: Ahmet Can Ağbaba)

MUNICIPAL TENDERS, MONEY TRANSFERS AND “WHERE IS THE 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS” CORRESPONDENCE

It was learned that CHP’s Veli Ağbaba’s nephew, Ahmet Can Ağbaba, was referred to the Criminal Court of Peace with a request for arrest on the charge of “influence trading”. In the referral letter of the prosecutor’s office, it was stated that Ahmet Can Ağbaba received 150 thousand TL from Turgut Koç, who was detained in another investigation file, to his bank account on April 24, 2024. The file also included findings regarding the money traffic between Veli Ağbaba, Gökhan Cumalı, who is said to be his driver, Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan, a council employee, and Turgut Koç.

150 THOUSAND TL BRIBERY FROM TURGUT KOÇ TO YEGEN AĞBABA

In the referral letter, it was determined that Ahmet Can Ağbaba received 150 thousand TL from the suspect Turgut Koç, who was detained within the scope of another investigation, to his bank account on April 24, 2024. The prosecutor’s office also emphasized that there is no kinship bond between Ahmet Can Ağbaba and Turgut Koç.

VELİ AĞBABA, HIS DRIVER AND COUNCIL EMPLOYEES ARE ON FILE

In the arrest request, it was stated that Gökhan Cumalı, who was detained in another investigation file, was the driver of Turgut Koç and Veli Ağbaba. In the referral letter, it was noted that there were money inflows into Gökhan Cumalı’s account by Veli Ağbaba, Turgut Koç and Veli Ağbaba’s parliamentary employee Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan.

(Image: Private Secretary Sadık Can Köksal)

5 SEPARATE MONEY TRANSFERS TO COUNCIL EMPLOYEES
In the referral letter, it was stated that Turgut Koç sent money to Veli Ağbaba’s parliamentary employee Özlem Akyılmaz Mercan on different dates. Koç’s; It was determined that he sent 25 thousand TL on January 9, 2023, 10 thousand TL on August 15, 2023, 25 thousand TL on September 12, 2023, 100 thousand TL on July 4, 2024, and 100 thousand TL on July 26, 2024. It was also stated that Turgut Koç sent a lot of money to Gökhan Cumalı.

CONFESSION FROM TURGUT KOÇ “BROTHER VELI ASKED FOR MONEY”

According to the referral letter, Turgut Koç, who was arrested from another file, admitted in his statement at the prosecutor’s office that Veli Ağbaba asked him for money and that’s why he corresponded.
The prosecutor’s office stated that it was also determined that there were many photographs of Turgut Koç with Veli Ağbaba in his digital materials.

“WHERE IS THE MONEY” CORRESPONDENCE WAS ALSO IN THE FILE

Remarkable findings were also found in the examination of Gökhan Cumalı’s phone numbers. It was stated that there were conversations about money with Veli Ağbaba on Gökhan Cumalı’s phone. Accordingly, it was recorded that on January 16, 2024, Veli Ağbaba asked “where is the money?”, and in the WhatsApp correspondence with Veli Ağbaba on March 4, 2024, correspondence and photographs regarding 100 thousand dollars, which were considered to be in a cargo bag, were detected.