The 82nd-day hearing in the İBB Case, involving 414 defendants, 51 of whom are in detention, including presidential candidate and İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, was held in Silivri. Detained Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık asked İbrahim Halil Babacan whether he had received any coercive demands from him during the construction process. Babacan said there had been no such demand, that they had obtained amended permits 3 times for the project, and that they had not met after Çalık was taken into custody.
Former İBB Deputy Secretary-General Cemal Ufuk Karakaya said he was on trial over 3 tenders in which he had participated and that he had not served on the tender or appraisal commissions. İmamoğlu asked about the “160 billion in corruption” and the 50 billion liras allegedly transferred to outsourcing companies. Karakaya said that the projects could not have been completed if funds had been transferred and that all payments had been made in full. He said he had not heard the terms “organization” or “system” at the meetings.
Why it matters
These statements show that the charges in the case are being debated across a broad administrative sphere encompassing not only political figures but also individuals involved in the municipality’s tender, permit and project processes. Çalık’s question raised whether there had been any pressure or coercive demands in construction procedures in Beylikdüzü, while İmamoğlu’s questions raised whether the alleged transfers of funds were consistent with the completed work and payments made. Karakaya’s statements that he had not served on the commissions and had not heard the terms organization or system demonstrate that his defense focused on the duties and responsibilities attributed to him. As the trial continues, the key unresolved issue is how the court will assess these courtroom statements against the charges in the case and to what extent they will influence the decision-making process.
Background
İBB is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the past 90 days, we have published 6 news stories mentioning it; the latest is dated September 15, 2026.