Kayhan Ayhan
The new week has commenced in the IBB (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality) trial, in which 414 individuals, 68 of whom are remanded in custody, including the IBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, are being prosecuted. In yesterday's 50th hearing, the incomplete interrogation of Fatoş Ayık, an employee of Media Inc., was finalized. Following this, the hearing was adjourned for a recess. Speaking at the beginning of the hearing, Ekrem İmamoğlu thanked the Ministry of Interior for launching an investigation into the statements made by Pınar Türker last week, adding that they expect the same sensitivity from the Ministry of Justice. Later in the hearing, Taner Çetin, the Head of the IBB Press, Publication and Public Relations Department, presented his defence. Beginning his defence, Çetin described his experiences at the prosecutor's office as follows:
"A prosecutor, whom I estimated to be around my son's age, initially said, 'Come on in, Taner,' and I entered. Drawing his prayer beads across his chest, he said, 'You have reached 63–64 years of age. You cannot get out of here. Your crimes are obvious, you stand no chance. Come, take advantage of effective repentance, and I will let you out.' He used ugly expressions while questioning me about the names of some of my female colleagues that appeared on social media. Then he asked, 'What did you graduate from?' He followed with, 'Were you a primary school graduate? What did you graduate from? I suppose you do not have a diploma.' After that, he said, 'Anyway, your Ekrem does not have a diploma either. He has filled this place with men like you.'"
Taking the floor, İmamoğlu stated the following:
"I believe you are becoming aware of what we have been through in this process, which is being passed off to all of us here as the scam of the century. Therefore, I hope you keep your conscientious evaluation at the highest level regarding the verdict to be delivered on Thursday. We are not in a normal trial process. I hope that the colleagues who have left months behind presenting their defences will also get an opportunity. Onur Gül was arrested in Çeşme; a secretary and three chauffeur colleagues have completed their 13th month. Leave aside an indictment, there is not even anything circulating out there. This is a very tragic situation. Three chauffeurs, an assistant, and an individual who once worked as an executive in our institution have been detained for 13 months; I wanted to remind you of this."
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled ‘Buradan asla çıkamazsın’, published in printed BirGün newspaper on June 16, 2026.
