Muhittin Böcek's New Statement: I Gave the Envelope to İmamoğlu

Antalya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Muhittin Böcek made striking statements in his supplementary testimony. Reiterating his previous statement, Böcek said he learned that the Muratpaşa Mayor had met with Ekrem İmamoğlu and received assurances and payment promises during the candidacy process. Accordingly, on November 30, 2023, he went to Istanbul with his private secretary and met with İmamoğlu at the Renaissance Istanbul Polat Bosphorus Hotel. During the meeting, İmamoğlu allegedly demanded approximately 15 million euros in exchange for supporting his candidacy, and Böcek said he could cover this payment over time. Böcek stated that after returning to Antalya, he contacted a friend who had entrusted money to him for the election budget, telling him he needed to make a payment of 5 million euros in Istanbul. His friend noted that the entrusted amount was less than 5 million euros but agreed to cover the difference as a loan, providing a total of 5 million euros. Instead of carrying the cash personally, the friend suggested using a system called 'havala' for a safer and faster transfer, which Böcek accepted. Böcek said his friend photographed a 100 TL banknote and placed it in an envelope along with a note containing a name and phone number. He explained that if the envelope was delivered to the payee, the money could be collected from Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. He declined to share the friend's identity but recalled the name on the envelope as 'Taç Döviz.' He noted that the money might have been sent to this establishment via the havala system's Istanbul branch, but he did not know whether it was collected. Böcek said he called İmamoğlu on December 16, 2023, to request a meeting, and the next day they met privately on the ground floor of a plaza he recalled as İmamoğlu's election office in Istanbul. During this meeting, he handed the envelope containing the 100 TL banknote and the note to İmamoğlu, stating he would complete the remaining payment if the presidential candidacy process proceeded. He added that he did not make the remaining payment because İmamoğlu was arrested. This is not investment advice.