Deniz Yücel, serving as both CHP Party Spokesperson and an İzmir Member of Parliament, visited former İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer and CHP İzmir Provincial Chair Şenol Aslanoğlu at the İzmir No. 1 F-Type High-Security Prison. Soyer and Aslanoğlu were taken into custody and subsequently arrested as part of an investigation into İZBETON A.Ş., a subsidiary of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. The charges include ‘bid rigging,’ ‘fraud in contract performance,’ and ‘aggravated fraud’ allegedly committed through subcontractor companies.
Following his visit, Yücel issued a statement asserting that the grievances experienced within the cooperative housing model were a direct result of the project not being continued.
**“THEIR SOLE REQUEST IS A FAIR AND NON-DETENTION TRIAL”**
Conveying the wishes of Soyer and Aslanoğlu, Yücel emphasized their request for a trial without detention. “Both of them are doing very well. They are waiting for the day they will emerge from these four walls with the self-confidence and clear conscience that comes from not having touched illicit gains, not having committed injustice, and not having committed a crime,” he said. “They sent their greetings and love to those who love them, to their friends, to our party members, and to our organization. Their only desire is to be tried fairly and without detention.”
**“IT GREW LIKE A SNOWBALL TO REACH THIS POINT”**
Yücel explained that the decision to halt the project after the local elections created the grievances. He provided the following context:
“When our former Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer was in office, our Metropolitan Municipality, in cooperation with cooperatives, developed a project for our low-income citizens to own homes at affordable prices. These were steps taken in good faith. Continuity is essential in government and public institutions. However, when Tunç Başkan was not re-nominated in the 2024 local elections, our new mayor and the new administration made the decision not to proceed with this project. The contracts signed with the cooperatives were terminated. After the contracts were cancelled, the members who had invested money to become homeowners through the cooperative were left in a difficult position and developed a sense of victimization. In the meantime, the management of the cooperatives also changed, which led to the start of individual complaints and applications against the previous administration. This issue then grew like a snowball, leading to the situation today.
**“TUNÇ SOYER IS CURRENTLY IN PRISON BECAUSE THIS PROJECT WAS NOT CONTINUED”**
Highlighting that the fundamental elements of a crime were absent in the case against Soyer and Aslanoğlu, Yücel used these expressions:
“There is not the slightest doubt that the actions were not motivated by criminal intent, fraud, or aggravated fraud. The work that was done is clear. Continuity is a fundamental principle in the state and its public institutions. A series of grievances have arisen because the new administration chose not to carry on with this project. Of course, some disruptions can occur; the economic conditions are known, and there are circumstances like construction progressing more slowly. But this is the fundamental cause. Tunç Soyer is not in office. Yet, Tunç Soyer is currently in prison because this project was not continued. Likewise, our CHP İzmir Provincial Chair Şenol Aslanoğlu is in prison. There are arrested bureaucrats, İZBETON Board of Directors members, workers, and civil servants. 60 people are currently incarcerated. A serious injustice is being experienced here.”
**“I BELIEVE HE WILL TAKE THE NECESSARY CONCRETE STEPS VERY SOON”**
Expressing that the construction would resume to remedy the grievances, Yücel remarked, “I am speaking for the victims of the cooperatives. I believe our Metropolitan Mayor, Cemil Tugay, will take the necessary concrete steps in the shortest possible time to resolve these grievances. In fact, during the press conference we held with Cemil Bey at our Provincial Headquarters on the second day of the operations, Mayor Tugay stated this clearly. He said, ‘We will not allow anyone to be victimized.’ He expressed that these residences and construction projects would be completed and handed over to their rightful owners as soon as possible. Therefore, we want our former Metropolitan Mayor, our CHP Provincial Chair, and our other friends who are currently detained to be released at once. Legally, there may be certain allegations and claims, but as a lawyer with 20 years of experience, I can say that this issue lacks a criminal law dimension, a crime component, or a fraud component. Our friends are unjustly inside, and we hope for their swift release and a fair, non-detained trial.”
**“I THINK THEY CAN BE RELEASED UPON APPEAL”**
Yücel also noted that efforts to appeal the detention of Soyer and Aslanoğlu are in progress. “The lawyers are working on the objection to the detention. They will also file that application within this week. I believe that if this event is viewed from the window and perspective I have described—and the lawyers will certainly address these points in their appeals—they can be released through the objection process,” he stated.