Contractors complained, the mayor imprisoned
In the İBB investigation, those who built skyscrapers in the heart of İstanbul and seized green spaces complained, while the mayors who did not give them permission were imprisoned. One of them is Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan... Three major contractors testified as if they had been persecuted. Şahan said, ‘My only concern is the public interest.’
In the investigations targeting the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), major contractors, owners of companies feeding on rent-seeking, companies that failed to win tenders, some bureaucrats who got involved in money-making schemes and were sidelined, lined up as complainants or witnesses. The “arrest first, then make them repent” method also mixed confessions with slander.
Ultimately, those who built skyscrapers in the heart of İstanbul and usurped green spaces became complainants, while some mayors who refused to grant them permission have been imprisoned for months.
To understand how these investigations are devoid of reason, logic and law, it suffices to take a closer look at the investigation process of Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan.
Resul Emrah Şahan, an urban planner who won the Şişli Municipality with 70 per cent of votes, was arrested on 24 March 2025 as part of the city consensus investigation. The Şişli District Governor was appointed as the trustee of the municipality.
However, the city consensus investigation turned into a major contradiction due to the new resolution process. Last week, Devlet Bahçeli drew attention to this contradiction.
The political judiciary immediately took action against the possibility of his release, arresting the elected mayor of Şişli on corruption charges in order to keep him in prison. Resul Emrah Şahan, who is in Silivri Prison, was questioned on 12 September 2025 on corruption charges.
The first complainant in the interrogation record was Emrullah Turanlı, owner of Taşyapı İnşaat, which wanted to build a 72-storey skyscraper on the earthquake gathering area in Şişli. Emrullah Turanlı, a contractor close to the government, had made a fortune through tens of billions of lira in public tenders and had paid zero tax for the last three years.
Şişli Municipality opposed the development project, but the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation cleared the way for construction by declaring the area a reserve zone. Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan had been criticising the project for years, arguing that it would eliminate earthquake assembly areas and lead to excessive construction and traffic congestion. He sealed the project, which he called ‘Şişli's Canal İstanbul’. In protests and press statements, he described this skyscraper as a dagger that would be plunged into the heart of İstanbul.
The contractor bore a hatred for the Mayor.
Contractor Emrullah Turanlı rushed to the courthouse on the day Resul Emrah Şahan was arrested to file a complaint.
Six months later, when Resul Emrah Şahan's release from the city reconciliation investigation came up, this statement was taken off the shelf.
THE TENDER TYCOON SUFFERED OPPRESSION
Emrullah Turanlı, owner of Taşyapı İnşaat, which amassed a billion-dollar fortune with the support of the regime, spoke as if he had suffered great oppression. In his statement, in which he made no secret of his hostility towards Resul Emrah Şahan, he said:
"The individual named Resul Emrah Şahan was formerly a member of the municipality council and was one of the chief architects of the oppression inflicted upon us. The oppression against us began at that time. Our complaints against him were filed at that time. After taking office, he intensified his persecution and complained about our plots of land...‘
Emrullah Turanlı claimed that his accounts were frozen and he suffered great losses due to the heavy fines imposed on his construction project. Emrullah Turanlı, who claimed that the managers of the Bulgarian Foundation, the owner of the land, were threatened, said, “The chairman and board members were threatened. This is what I have been told.”
Emrullah Turanlı continued his claims regarding the area where he wanted to build a 72-storey skyscraper as follows:
“They pressured me to transfer my registered property to themselves and to the municipality... They tried to take my property and even attempted to take my life. Recent events have revealed what kind of gang they are. I have been complaining about these people for years. All the prosecutors and judges are fed up with me, but we have found no solution... May God not leave this nation without a state or a homeland.”
Resul Emrah Şahan had been campaigning against this construction project for years, organising protests and issuing press statements. When asked about Emrullah Turanlı's statement, he replied:
"Our main concern here is that this project will bring too much traffic to this area, more than Şişli and İstanbul can handle.
“I have consistently emphasised in all my discussions that this project could be a disaster for Şişli and İstanbul... Our concern was that if something was to be built, it should be a structure that fits in with the surrounding buildings. It should have horizontal architecture and green spaces. I never met with Emrullah Turanlı face-to-face to discuss these issues. The land he complained about is owned by the municipality and he should have technically abandoned it (the ministry agreed with us on this point during our discussions). However, Emrullah Turanlı wanted the municipality to vacate this plot so that he could use it as a construction site. A contractor's goal may be to generate income. However, as mayor, my concern is the public interest and future of this city.”
PENALTIES FROM THE COUNCIL
Contractor Emrullah Turanlı claimed that the Mayor of Şişli had imposed unfair penalties on him. Resul Emrah Şahan responded to this claim as follows:
“The penalties imposed on him by the municipality are entirely related to irregularities committed. The fines were imposed by council members. No investigation has been authorised into the council members he claims have wronged him. The person who refused to authorise the investigation is the Şişli District Governor, who is currently serving as the trustee of Şişli Municipality."
‘THEY WANTED A PARK’
The other contractor who complained about Resul Emrah Şahan was Ziya Yılmaz, owner of DAP Yapı.
He had built a large, lucrative project called Nişantaşı Koru on the site of the Marmara University Campus in Nişantaşı. The university's large garden had been buried under concrete. In his statement, Ziya Yılmaz explained that the Şişli Municipality had not granted a licence for a long time and said:
“Resul Emrah Şahan did not grant an appointment for a long time. Although I don't remember exactly, I was informed by the managers working with me or by Adem Altuntaş that the municipality wanted a park to be built. We informed him that we could not build this park due to financial difficulties. I was able to get an appointment with Resul Emrah Şahan in February 2025. I told him in no uncertain terms that there was nothing wrong with the building's project, that occupancy permits had not been issued for about a year, and that the property owners living here, myself, and Emlak Konut were being victimised. After this meeting, I was informed that the municipality was insisting on the park and that we would not be able to obtain occupancy permits without building it. We were therefore forced to sign a donation protocol regarding the construction of the park. The occupancy permits were issued one week and ten days later.
Resul Emrah Şahan responded to these claims as follows: "It is not true that we forced him to build the park. The issue is the forest behind the project. Our technical staff informed me that occupancy permits were not granted due to serious problems with the fire safety plan. He continuously revised the plans during this process. Regarding the park, it was not coercion but a recommendation. We said, “If you are going to do it, let's do it officially”. Likewise, the donation protocol was also signed.”
TORUNLAR ALSO COMPLAINED
The third contractor to complain about Resul Emrah Şahan was Mehmet Torunlar, who is also very close to the AKP.
Mehmet Torunlar, owner of Torunlar Holding, built the massive Torun Center construction on the site of the former Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Şişli. Ten workers lost their lives in an elevator that fell during the construction of these skyscrapers. When the project was first announced, it was said that large green areas would be left. However, the entire area was covered with concrete, generating billions of dollars in profit.
Torunlar Holding leased nine floors of Torun Centre to a software company. This company wanted to connect the nine floors with a staircase. Torunlar applied to the Şişli Municipality for a renovation permit for this purpose.
Yakup Öner, a cartographer at the İBB, and Metin Karakoç, general coordinator of Torunlar Holding, made the following allegations:
“The approval fee should have been 9 million, but the company was asked for 27 million TL. After this fee was paid, the officials of the municipality said, “It will be approved anyway, so you can start construction.”’ Later, Torunlar Holding was fined 1 billion TL for carrying out renovations without a permit. Additionally, Adem Altıntaş, a consultant to the municipality, demanded a bribe of 10 million dollars.
Mehmet Torunlar, owner of Torunlar Holding, stated that he was informed that a bribe of 20 million dollars was requested from him, adding, ‘Following our objections, the 1 billion TL fine was reduced to 15 million TL.”
STATIC PROJECT REQUESTED
Adem Altıntaş, who acts as a consultant to the municipality and companies, claimed that company manager Metin Karakoç had offered assistance to the municipality and proposed the construction of a cultural centre costing 10 million dollars. He denied the allegations of bribery.
When asked about these statements, Resul Emrah Şahan gave the following answers: “Because the spaces between all nine floors were connected, the entire building's static project needed to be renewed. We said, “If you are going to make renovations here, you will have to fill in the spaces on those nine floors, and you need to obtain a static project for this.” Since this was not done, we had to impose a fine. The penalty in question relates to this. They later carried out the renovation and closed it. Based on this, the council reduced the penalty. However, there is no such thing as them being asked for 10 million dollars, as they mentioned. I think they are referring to the penalty. From what I heard from the municipality, Metin, an employee of Torunlar, may have brought up this issue because he couldn't move the process forward quickly. I believe that Metin expressed the issue in this way because he was unable to resolve the problem due to his own mistakes. The penalty was reduced not because they objected to the penalty in question, as he claimed, but because they completed the deficiencies.”
Three contractors who complained about Resul Emrah Şahan made these claims. It was also alleged that the Nişantaşı New Year's lighting was requested for the occupancy of Abdi İbrahim's three-block building in Bomonti.
It was also alleged that a cultural centre and a refuse truck were requested for the architectural project approval of Medicana Levent's hospital building.
AN ABSURD QUESTION
Adem Altıntaş's statement was also put to Resul Emrah Şahan: “Resul Emrah Şahan is an urban planner and very close to Ekrem İmamoğlu. He has held various positions at the Metropolitan Municipality. I have observed that he can do anything Ekrem İmamoğlu says.”
Resul Emrah Şahan responded as follows: “I have been on a political journey with Ekrem İmamoğlu for 10 years. I served as the President of the IPA and the Beylikdüzü Project Coordinator. Therefore, this relationship is not one where I make him do what I say, but rather one where, if there is a wrong situation, we inform the mayor and express our opinion that it should not be done.”
“HE LIVES IN RENTED ACCOMMODATION”
Adem Altıntaş, advisor to the companies and the municipality who made statements of effective remorse, said in his statement: "I have no information about whether these individuals used the cash they obtained for their own personal enrichment or for another purpose. However, as far as I can see, Resul Emrah Şahan lived in rented accommodation in a reasonably priced building. I do not think he used this money for his own personal enrichment. Resul Emrah Şahan said the following regarding the allegations in general: "We have never had any unofficial requests. As a municipality mayor and former bureaucrat, my only concern is the public interest. It is for the institution to get back on its feet. It maximises public benefit in planning. (Green space and amenity areas) Therefore, Adem is a city planner friend of ours who has technically advised on some processes. As Resul Emrah Şahan, my entire life, my home, and my assets are out in the open. We are not the kind of people who would be involved in any way in unjust gains or unofficial requests."
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Müteahhitler şikâyetçi, belediye başkanı tutuklu, published in BirGün newspaper on September 17, 2025.
