No more suspects in custody in the Ayhan Bora Kaplan case! 'Secret witness' file sent to high court

Within the scope of the “secret witness” investigation into connections to the Ayhan Bora Kaplan criminal organization conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an indictment was prepared and a lawsuit was filed against former Deputy Provincial Police Chief Murat Çelik, former Anti-Organized Crime Branch Director Kerem Gökay Öner, former deputy branch director Şevket Demircan, former branch commissioners Ufuk Gültekin, Gökhan Karaca, and Metehan İlkyaz, as well as civilian defendants Nurullah Özgür Kopuk, Ramazan Kubat, Adem Kaçan, Mustafa Çotuk, and Erdoğan Sertçelik on charges of “Abuse of office,” “Disclosure of a secret regarding office,” “Favoritism toward the criminal,” and “Attempting to influence a witness.” At the hearing held on September 3, 2024, at the Ankara 13th Criminal Court of First Instance, where four suspects were tried without detention, a decision was made to release seven defendants who were in custody, including police personnel. Thus, no defendants remain in custody in the case.

The fourth hearing, held today at the Ankara 13th Criminal Court of First Instance, was attended by the defendants Metehan İlkyaz, Nurullah Özgür Kopuk, Ufuk Gültekin, and Gökhan Karaca, who are not in custody, and their respective lawyers. The judge granted the defendants the opportunity to speak. All of the defendants stated that they had nothing to say at this stage of the case and that they were simply repeating their previous statements and requested their acquittal.

DECISION OF LACK OF JURISDICTION

Following the lawyers' defense statements, the public prosecutor addressed the court, stating in his opinion that, although an indictment had been prepared against the defendants for "favoring the criminal," the high criminal court was responsible for overseeing the trial and requested that the case be transferred to the competent high criminal court. The defendants and their lawyers also disagreed with the opinion, stating that the trial would continue to drag on, and requested acquittal. The judge ruled that the high criminal court was responsible for overseeing the trial and ruled for lack of jurisdiction to transfer the case to the competent high criminal court.

Source: DHA