Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) is accused of demanding a $3 million bribe in a corruption case involving its mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, who is currently under arrest.
Businessperson Muzaffer Beyaz, who was questioned as a “complainant-suspect,” alleged that Ertan Yıldız of the IBB demanded $3 million under the pretext that the municipality needed the money in return for facilitating a construction project.
A total of 100 suspects, including Imamoğlu, IBB press advisor Murat Ongun, Imamoğlu’s construction General Secretary Tuncay Yılmaz, businessperson Fatih Keleş, Imamoğlu’s consultant Ertan Yıldız and others linked to the organization, have been implicated in charges related to “being a leader of a criminal organization,” “membership in a criminal organization,” “bribery,” “fraud,” “illegal data acquisition” and “tampering with a tender.”
Muzaffer Beyaz stated that he oversaw 15 construction projects in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district, three of which commenced before Imamoğlu became mayor, but the licensing process for which began during his tenure.
Muzaffer Beyaz noted that he met Imamoğlu because of the project he carried out with Mustafa Keleş, Beyaz Construction head Muammer Beyaz and businessperson Metin Gül, and that Imamoğlu sold his shares to Süleyman Aslan before the project started and later became the mayor of Beylikdüzü.
He added that the habitation permit for the project, called West Side, was obtained in 2019 with the assistance of ASOY Group head Adem Soytekin.
“We made a large cash payment to Adem for the rough construction. These payments were made through the partnership established by the companies that carried out the construction. I will also submit the records to the file. In the remaining payment, we gave Adem seven shops and five apartments to handle the occupancy procedures,” Beyaz said. He added that he also gave three apartments in this project to Hasan Imamoğlu, Ekrem Imamoğlu’s father.
“(Beylikdüzü Mayor) Mehmet Murat Çalık wanted us to transfer three apartments in this way for the building permit. However, they sent money to our account as a precaution to avoid any issues later in the transfer process. Later, this money was returned to them through the project managers.”
Muzaffer Beyaz indicated that this was only part of the bribery going on in the municipality and cited further examples he had lived through.
He said he met Ekrem Imamoğlu during a graduation ceremony at Istanbul Technical University and asked for a meeting with him to share his concerns.
“After this conversation, Yıldız reached out to me and called me for a meeting at the Bakırköy municipality. When I arrived, he informed me that the municipality needed money and that I had to help, within this scope, by providing them with three million dollars. I rejected this. Shortly after, he called me again to meet. He wrote through WhatsApp. When I went there, he said, ‘If you don’t give me the three million dollars, we will reduce the 10 floors of the project to six floors and turn 1/3 of it into green space. You already have problems with Capacity (construction project), we will close that area as well.”
Muzaffer Beyaz continued to say that he argued with Yıldız.
In another case, Muzaffer Beyaz mentioned that he completed a 30-apartment building in 2016. Although the building had no problems, Adem Soytekin approached the businessperson to buy a football skybox of Trabzonspor in return for the habitation permit.
“I had to buy a box in Trabzonspor’s stadium for two years. I sent the money to my relative, Bülent Yazgan and bought the box in his name. However, I never used this box. It was completely under Fatih Keleş’s use.
Prosecutors say Imamoğlu was among the leaders of a criminal network apparently enriching themselves through bribes and rigged public tenders. Ekrem Imamoğlu and 99 others are also accused of illegally obtaining personal data, while a separate probe also accuses him, IBB Deputy Secretary-General Mahir Polat, Istanbul’s Şişli District Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan and four others of helping the PKK. Security forces are still searching for 19 fugitive suspects.