After hearing Fatoş Pınar Türker describe a strip search during her defense at yesterday's hearing, Sütlaş said he could not sleep all night and added, "After what I heard yesterday, I sat on a chair until morning, I was very upset. People do not deserve this."
Sütlaş said he hesitated even to talk about his own troubles in the face of the victims' suffering, stating, "I came here to tell my own grievances. But after what I heard, I felt ashamed of myself. As a man, I gave up talking about my own problems. I thought it would be shameful."
The trial of the İBB case, involving 414 defendants including CHP's presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, with 68 in custody, began its 46th day at Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court in Silivri's Marmara Closed Prison Courtroom No. 1.
During the hearing, detained businessman and advertiser Nihat Sütlaş, whose defense was taken, stated that the indictment portrayed his company as "diverting money received from İBB to an organization," and responded to the allegations with financial statements. He said his company worked with İBB in media buying agency services and outdoor advertising.
Sütlaş claimed that between 2019 and 2025, his company received 91.5 million TL from İBB for media buying services, and after deducting VAT, income tax, Press Advertisement Agency payments, personnel, rent, and other expenses, there was little profit left. He added that media buying agencies' profit margins do not exceed 15% in the market. "This is a five-year business.
It is not a lump sum or instant profit. Throughout the year, we planned media for promotional and celebration campaigns such as April 23, October 29, August 30, and Ramadan Bayram," he said. "I am trying to explain that I did not transfer money to a non-existent organization."
Sütlaş stated that he and his partner Uğurhan Atma injected a total of 115 million TL in cash into the company and that the money in the company's accounts is also visible in official records. He noted that MASAK reports assessed the company as highly profitable in 2024, saying, "If someone asks where the 99 million lira is, that money is in the company accounts.
The amounts in our bank deposits and cash accounts as of the operation day are clear. I am trying to explain that I did not transfer money to a non-existent organization." Sütlaş also explained his commercial balance with İBB, stating that his company made a total turnover of 408 million TL between 2019 and 2025, of which 91 million TL came from İBB.
He said this ratio corresponds to 22% of his total trade, adding, "My company did not only work with İBB. We earned income from outdoor advertising, the media we sold, and invoices issued to other clients." "We worked under sworn financial auditor supervision."
Sütlaş said the company has been audited by a sworn financial auditor since its establishment, all invoices are official, and financial records are inspected. "All our financial figures are under audit. The Ministry of Finance, Revenue Administration, and many institutions have audited our company. I have no secret accounting. I did not transfer money to any organization," he said.
Describing his company's fields of activity, Sütlaş said the brands YoYo Istanbul, Doğa Pro, YoYo Metro, Simplay, Dogpart, and Artesta are used in outdoor advertising. He said they obtained the Turkish representation of the international software Broadsign, which is used as a control panel for digital screens.
Sütlaş said, "The digital screens you see outdoors, in metros, and at piers are controlled with this software. It is an internationally standardized software used in 41 countries."
He explained that they created digital advertising spaces at City Lines piers, metro areas, ATM cabin side surfaces, and various outdoor media, and that they developed 3D advertising video applications in some areas for the first time in Turkey.
Sütlaş said he was accused regarding digital screens inside metro stations and wagons during the 65th, 66th, and 67th actions, and that these jobs were won with high bids. He said they won their first metro job in 2021 by offering 90% higher bids. "If there was an organizational structure or secret partnership, I would not have taken this job with a 90% profit," he said.
He added that they initially gave high bids due to inexperience but gradually understood sales capacity and market conditions better. He also said they established the necessary technical infrastructure for the metro wagon interior screens themselves. "Metro AŞ required industrial PCs due to high safety standards."
Sütlaş said that technical teams' access to metro areas is subject to strict rules and that Metro AŞ applies high safety standards. He explained that they initially planned to use normal computer systems for wagon interior screens, but Metro AŞ requested certified industrial PCs due to fire, earthquake, vibration, and humidity risks.
He said these devices were imported from China, certificates were provided, and installations were carried out according to the institution's technical procedures. He noted that during the process, it was found that the number of wagons and screens differed from the contract, which was reflected in internal correspondence.
Responding to another allegation about metro lines, Sütlaş argued that transferring some areas to Modyo TV was due to technical necessity, not loss. He said that on the newly opened M4 Tavşantepe-Kurtköy-Sabiha Gökçen line, it is technically impossible to operate two separate digital broadcasting systems within the same wagon. "Therefore, we negotiated with Modyo TV.
We agreed on rent payments for the areas they use and issued regular invoices," he said. After a trustee was appointed to his company, Modyo TV reportedly refused to pay rent, but the trustee management reviewed the contracts and found his company justified. "The trustee also said the rights to the areas belong to Reklam İstanbul. After that, they resumed payments," Sütlaş said.
"The infrastructure we established remains with İBB after the contract ends."
Sütlaş said the digital screen infrastructure installed in metro wagons will be left to İBB at the end of the contract. "I cannot remove the PCs or cables. The infrastructure remains with İBB. Also, İBB has the right to broadcast up to 30% free of charge. They can promote themselves on these screens for free," he said.
He argued that evaluation cannot be made solely based on rental income and that his obligations include infrastructure installation and providing free broadcasting rights. Sütlaş said no company complained about the metro tenders, stating, "As far as I know, no company complained about these tenders. No one says they were defrauded.
We want to understand who is the victim and who was defrauded," he said. Sütlaş suggested that some requested documents from İBB might not have been provided due to officials' reluctance. "Officials at İBB might be afraid to sign documents. If they are assured they won't be arrested, maybe the documents will come faster and the truth will emerge," he said. "I couldn't sleep last night; what was said embarrassed me."
Nihat Sütlaş said the accusations against female defendants and managers during yesterday's defense deeply affected him and that some statements by repentant witnesses were unfair and hurtful. He said he could not sleep all night after hearing the female defendants' accounts, adding, "After what I heard yesterday, I sat on a chair until morning. I came here sleepless.
I was very discouraged, stressed, and upset. People do not deserve this. I came here to tell my own grievances. But after what I heard, I felt ashamed of myself. As a man, I gave up talking about my own problems. I thought it would be shameful," he said.
Responding to allegations of "unjust enrichment," Sütlaş said the 21 million lira he invested in the company's capital came from the sale of properties he owned before 2019 and previous investments. He requested examination of the title deeds included in MASAK reports and claimed that expert reports showed properties with changed types as newly acquired.
"They wrote as if I acquired 16 title deeds after 2019. However, a significant portion of these are properties inherited before 2019 or from contracts based on floor area ratios," Sütlaş said, arguing that the reports do not reflect the truth. "Every stage of the tenders is recorded on camera."
Sütlaş detailed how tenders for City Lines and ATM advertising spaces were conducted, saying the processes were carried out entirely according to official procedures. He explained that before participating in tenders, they purchased specifications, prepared documents, and submitted bids in sealed envelopes. "If there are camera recordings from those days.
