Investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has completed the investigation it initiated regarding the purchase of the Istanbul provincial building of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and prepared an indictment. The indictment states that the CHP Provincial Chairman of the period Canan Kaftancioglu, Sisli Mayor Muammer KeskinAnd Maltepe Mayor Ali KilicA lawsuit was filed against 22 defendants, including:
Public prosecutor Hakan Aksoy, requested the Supreme Court of Appeals for property acquisition transactions of political parties, the Constitutional Court for the audit of financial affairs of parties and finally the tax office to conduct an investigation regarding the developments in the purchase of the CHP provincial building. The indictment included the MASAK report prepared regarding the purchase of the building, expert opinions and the defense documents submitted by the CHP.
It was learned that the Supreme Court of Appeals could decide to seize some floors of the CHP Istanbul provincial building, stating that “15.5 million liras were taken in person, there is no receipt or document showing the source of the money.” The prosecutor’s office refers to the Political Parties Law, emphasizing that in the event of the acquisition of real estate, this must definitely be reported and that the document and receipt must be present. It was also stated that the Constitutional Court’s responsibility in this matter was on the agenda. It was stated that if the Constitutional Court detects serious irregularities in the inflow and outflow of money, it could impose a penalty on the party or even go as far as shutting down the business.
Campaign and Suspicious Statements
There were some very interesting names among those who participated in the campaign called “You put a brick too”. Some lawyers, businessmen and CHP party members stated in the indictment that they did not receive documents in return for their money. The Mayor of Maltepe at the time Ali KilicHe stated that he received money from 3 people for the purchase of the provincial building, but did not give a receipt in return.
Participating in the campaign Vedat Ali AydinHe stated that he made the donation because he thought the money would be used to build a mosque, cemevi or school. Aydin, who gave a statement to the prosecutor’s office as a suspect, said the following:
“About 4-5 years ago (shortly before the pandemic), during a conversation I had with Chairman Ali Kılıç, I heard about a charity work called ‘You put a brick in’. I saw that the Chairman was making phone calls left and right for this purpose and I thought it was a campaign such as a mosque, cemevi or school. For this purpose, I gave 50 thousand TL to Chairman Ali Kılıç in cash. I did not know that the aid money was collected for the purchase of the CHP Istanbul provincial building. I learned it later. Since he was my close friend, I did not ask for a receipt. Ali Bey said he would send the receipt but he did not.”
