Bribery scandal in court

Timur Soykan

The famous rapper Süleyman Burak Bodur (24), known as “LVBEL C5”, was arrested on 5 May 2025 on charges of promoting drug use in his song lyrics. Lvbel C5, whose songs have been listened to by millions of people on social media, was arrested by the Gebze Courthouse Criminal Court and sent to Kandıra Prison.

According to information I obtained from my news sources, a series of scandalous events exposing corruption in the judiciary began after this arrest.

After Süleyman Burak Bodur's arrest, some of his relatives and business partners began looking for ways to secure his release. They were trying to save Lvbel C5 by telling their acquaintances in the judiciary that rappers had previously been detained on charges of ‘encouraging drug use’ but had not been arrested. They pointed out that the rapper had 25 concerts scheduled in the near future and was therefore suffering significant financial losses. They objected to the detention. Another method was to reach out to influential individuals. Eventually, they made their way to the office of Judge O.Y., who presides at the Gebze Courthouse.

According to the allegations, when Süleyman Burak Bodur's relatives explained the situation, Judge O.Y. handed them a piece of paper with a phone number written on it and told them that if they spoke to a person named ‘E.A.,’ they would be able to help.

'ACCEPT THE BRIBE'

Those involved in the Lvbel C5 case called this phone number and met with E.A. in Ümraniye, İstanbul. They still did not know what he did for a living or why he was involved in the case. When they asked, E.A. said he was a lawyer and worked with Judge O.Y. After explaining that they knew Süleyman Burak Bodur was famous and had made a lot of money, they said they could secure his release from prison in exchange for 500,000 dollars. Süleyman Burak Bodur's relatives reacted to this and said they could not afford to pay that much money. Upon this, Lawyer E.A. said, "Ten to fifteen people will make money here. Your friend is in good shape."

When the people on the other end said they couldn't pay that amount, he said, ‘I'll talk to the judge,’ and walked away with his phone. When he returned, he said, ‘We'll settle it for 300,000 dollars. But the judge is very angry. If you don't pay, this kid will stay inside for at least six months.’

However, Süleyman Burak Bodur's relatives refused to pay the money and left. Shortly afterwards, the phone rang again. Lawyer E.A. said, ‘You made a hasty decision. I can resolve this for 100,000 dollars.’

This time, they hung up the phone, saying, ‘Let us think about it.’ However, they were not going to pay the bribe. Two days later, they secured an appointment at the Ministry of Justice through “influential” contacts, and senior bureaucrats at the ministry in Ankara listened to them. They were informed that the Kocaeli Chief Prosecutor’s Office had been notified and were advised to go to the prosecutor’s office to file a complaint. The next day, they went to the Kocaeli Chief Prosecutor’s Office and recounted what had happened to them.

The prosecutor's office called Lawyer E.A. and asked them to say that they agreed to give the bribe and to record the conversation. In this conversation, which was recorded by order of the prosecutor's office, Lawyer E.A. agreed to pay $50,000 in advance and $50,000 after the release.

Lawyer E.A. told them to bring the money the next day.

Preparations were made to catch them in the act. Teams from the Kocaeli Security Directorate Organised Crime Department sprang into action. Süleyman Burak Bodur's relatives brought the 50,000 dollars, and the serial numbers on the bills were recorded. Approximately 100 police officers from the Kocaeli Security Directorate were assigned to this operation. At the restaurant in Çekmeköy where Lawyer E.A. wanted to meet, the police took their seats as if they were customers. Nine of the ten tables in the restaurant were occupied by plainclothes police officers. Numerous listening devices had been installed. In addition, there was a police officer who was introduced as a businessman sitting next to Süleyman Burak Bodur's relatives.

During this meeting, which was fully recorded, Lawyer E.A. made shocking statements. He said that out of 100,000 dollars, only 10,000 dollars remained for him, and that not only Judge O.Y. but also 10 other people had received a share from this deal. While explaining this, he said, "I am taking the money in cash because I trust you very much. Otherwise, we usually don't take cash; we take it in the form of houses or cars. We arrest the man and say, ‘700,000 dollars, 500,000 dollars.’ We get a lot of cars.”

He even mentioned that he had registered the luxury car he had recently purchased in his mother’s name. He said he would sell it cheaply if they needed a car. He then explained how the system worked. According to the allegations, he said the following:

THE GOAL IS TO GET THE MONEY

“There is a team of 10 people in İstanbul and İzmit who oversee this region. They identify wealthy individuals who have been sent to prison. Sometimes they also identify wealthy individuals who are involved in shady business deals. We carry out operations on them and put them behind bars. We have connections with judges and prosecutors in most of the courthouses in İstanbul. There are 10-15 people in each courthouse. There are none in Büyükçekmece and Küçükçekmece. In fact, things are resolved cheaply in Gebze. In Çağlayan, these matters are handled for 750,000 to 800,000 dollars.”

In this conversation, which was recorded with the police present, it is alleged that Lawyer E.A. mentioned the names of nearly 15 prosecutors and judges. It is also alleged that Lawyer E.A. called Judge O.Y. on video while at the table and that this conversation was also recorded. During this conversation, Judge O.Y. is alleged to have complained about the large discounts given to those who were asked for bribes, saying, ‘These people have a lot of money.’

After these words, Judge O.Y. said that he would send the clerk to request the file from the prosecutor and ensure that the person was released immediately. His aim was to get the rest of the money immediately. He called again 20 minutes later and said that the file had not yet arrived, that it was an interesting situation, and asked them to wait a little longer.

Meanwhile, Lawyer E.A. was explaining how they had had a businesswoman involved in a lawsuit with an insurance company arrested and had received money from the insurance company in return.

Despite the presence of numerous police officers at his desk and surrounding desks, Attorney E.A. suspected a person outside near the parking lot. He mentioned that the mafia might be following him. He was referring to a jeweller.

HE PAID 50,000 DOLLARS

A short time later, the person claiming to be Judge O.Y. called Lawyer E.A. again. Saying that the file had not yet arrived, he said, ‘He will be released tomorrow, and I will sign it.’ In other words, the payment of 50,000 dollars was postponed until the next day.

Süleyman Burak Bodur, also known as ‘Lvbel C5’, and his associates gave the 50,000 dollars to Lawyer E.A. As they stood up from the table and walked out, a large number of police officers caught them in the act.

Lawyer E.A. and the people with him were forced to lie on the ground. The money, which had been serialised, was confiscated. The people with Süleyman Burak Bodur were arrested to prevent the trap from being discovered. Later, a protection order was issued for these people.

When Lawyer E.A. was arrested, the Council of Judges and Prosecutors launched an investigation into the judicial officials, including Judge O.Y. In his initial statement, Lawyer E.A. said he did not know Judge O.Y. However, in his statement given via SEGBİS from prison to the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on 16 June 2025, he said, “I may have seen Judge O.Y. once at the courthouse.” But telephone conversations between the lawyer and the judge had been detected. Lawyer E.A. stated that he had 2,000 clients and was well known due to his appearances on television programmes, saying, “It is very easy to reach me by phone. I remember that Judge O.Y. and I did not exchange phone numbers.”

In his statement, the prosecutor read the examination report of the images recorded during the crime. He asked about the moments when Judge O.Y. was seen talking on video. Lawyer E.A. said, “I had a conversation with my own lawyers from the phone of my overweight friend who was with me. I believe that this is the conversation reflected in the report. I definitely did not have a conversation with the judge via a web-based programme. When the person listed as the complainant in the file came to me, he was very angry and looked physically unwell. He told me he had just come out of surgery. He probably did something in that state.”

Lawyer E.A., who claimed that his mobile phone was seized in violation of procedure, said, “There is no crime deserving of a heavy sentence, nor is there a properly obtained investigation permit in the file. It is not legal for only me to be detained in a bribery case where there is no public official involved... I am a person loyal to my country and my people. This detention must be lifted.” Arguing in his statement that there was no bribery offence, Lawyer E.A. noted that the investigation by the Council of Judges and Prosecutors was still ongoing and said:

“The expected HSK investigation in the file is merely a pursuit of a possibility. My detention for an action that is only a possibility is also not legal. When considering the possibilities that the Ministry will not grant permission if the HSK process or the nature of the crime changes, there is no legal benefit to my remaining in detention.”

Lawyer E.A. requested his release, stating that the witnesses and complainants in the case were under protection and that even approaching them would result in an arrest warrant being issued against him.

While Attorney E.A. remained in custody, rapper Süleyman Burak Bodur was released on bail to be tried without detention at his first hearing after spending 23 days in prison. The Council of Judges and Prosecutors' investigation into Judge O.Y. and other members of the judiciary is ongoing.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Adliyede rüşvet skandalı, published in BirGün newspaper on July 15, 2025.