During the 34th hearing of the İBB trial, in which 414 individuals including Ekrem İmamoğlu are standing trial, defences were heard against allegations that illegal excavation dumping was carried out in the Cebeci Mining District. Making a defence against the allegations, lawyer Metin Çetinbaş stated that the prosecutors who prepared the indictment did not know the legislation. Ekrem İmamoğlu, taking the floor to ask a question to the detained Mustafa Keleş, could not hold back his tears. Emphasising that they had no communication with Keleş other than meeting and chatting during religious holidays, İmamoğlu used the expressions, “I apologise to this young man on behalf of this state, on behalf of this nation, and on behalf of the supreme Turkish judiciary.” The trial was adjourned until 11 May.
The 34th hearing of the case was held, in which 414 names are being tried—including the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was removed from office following his arrest—comprising 77 detained defendants and 5 complainant-defendants. At the hearing, attended by some defendants pending trial and lawyers, several CHP Members of Parliament and relatives of the detained defendants were present as observers. During the hearing, defences were received against the charges alleging that illegal excavation dumping was carried out in the Cebeci Mining District, which is the subject of the indictment. Detained individuals, lawyers, journalists, observers, and the court panel took their places. Metin Çetinbaş, the lawyer for Yağmur Cansu Yeşilyurt, who is being tried under arrest due to the allegations regarding the Cebeci mining site, began his unfinished defence. Çetinbaş emphasised that the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the MAPEG (General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs) hold responsibility for mining activities. Stating that reports were obtained for the mining activity, lawyer Çetinbaş said that prosecutors should have filed lawsuits against the institutional officials. Saying “Let me give their names,” Çetinbaş continued as follows: “If such an allegation exists, we would have expected lawsuits to be filed against Berat Albayrak, Fatih Dönmez, Abdullah Tancan, Alparslan Bayraktar, Mithat Cansız, Davut Gül, and Mahmut Kaşıkçı.”
NOT A SINGLE CONCRETE INCIDENT
Stating that the Kuzey Cebeci and Güney Cebeci companies are legally established entities in accordance with the legislation and that the prosecutors deemed the merger processes a crime, Çetinbaş said that the prosecutors who drafted the indictment did not know this legislation. Pointing out that the members of the commission established to take precautions in the mining region were appointed by the Istanbul Governor’s Office, Çetinbaş emphasised that his client was accused for participating in the meetings. The defence of Mustafa Keleş, the son of Fatih Keleş—President of the İBB Sports Club and CHP Beylikdüzü Municipal Council member who, like his father, is being tried under arrest, is being taken. Conveying that the prosecution claimed he and his father were organisation leaders, Keleş used the expressions, “There is no organisational link between us other than that of father and son. There is not even a statement about me. Despite this, it is said that I am a member of an organisation.” Stating that he had no authority or involvement in the Cebeci Mining District, Keleş said, “I am not an organisation member; I have not been involved in illegal activities. There is not a single concrete narration of an incident where my name is mentioned in the file.”
TORN AWAY FROM THEIR MOTHERS
The Family Solidarity Network (ADA), founded by the relatives of the victims of the 19 March operation, gathered in the parking area located next to the Silivri Courtroom. The 33rd meeting was supported by Suat Özçağdaş, Head of the CHP National Education Policy Board; Aylin Nazlıaka, Head of the CHP Family and Social Services Policy Board; Nurhayat Altaca Kayışoğlu, CHP Deputy Chairperson; Ahmet Özer, Mayor of Esenyurt; Members of Parliament, artists, and a group of citizens.
Ekrem İmamoğlu’s wife, Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, said the following in her speech: “In 2025, which was declared the Year of the Family, hundreds of families were forced to struggle against injustice and unlawfulness. Mothers were torn away from their children, and children from their mothers. I wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all our mothers who are tearful in this country, whose joy has been cut short, and who struggle for their children, especially my late mother and to everyone who carries a mother’s heart and shows their love unconditionally. I wish from the bottom of my heart for mothers to be reunited with their children as soon as possible.”
INTERIM DECISION ANNOUNCED
In the third week of the second session of the Aziz İhsan Aktaş criminal organisation case, Presiding Judge Oğuzhan Gül announced the interim decision regarding the lawyers’ requests. The judge decided that there was no need to rule on the lawyers’ excuses and rejected the requests for separation of cases, lack of jurisdiction, and lack of authority. The Istanbul 1st High Criminal Court decided unanimously to send the file to the prosecution for the preparation of the legal opinion on the merits. The Trial Prosecutor requested one week to prepare the legal opinion on the merits; the hearing was adjourned until 14 May.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Devlet adına özür diliyorum, has been published in a printed BirGün newspaper on May 8, 2026.
Kaynak: BirGün
