Court releases 10 in case of ex-nationalist leader murder

ANKARA

In a new development on the case involving the murder of the former head of the ultra-nationalist group Gray Wolves, an Ankara court has rendered an interim decision, releasing 10 defendants under judicial control and imposing a travel ban.

The incident occurred on Dec. 30, 2022, when Sinan Ateş was fatally shot by gunman Eray Özyağcı as he left his office in the capital's Çukurambar quarter.

The murder and subsequent interrogation have garnered extensive media coverage, with the inaugural hearing attended by prominent political figures.

The first hearing, which commenced on July 1 and spanned five days, involved the testimonies of various witnesses and defendants throughout the week.

The court acceded to the plaintiff's attorneys' request to solicit assistance from the United States in decrypting the cell phones of defendants Serdar Öktem and Mustafa Ensar Aykal.

Conversely, the court dismissed the request to investigate the allegation that defendant Tolgahan Demirbaş was nabbed while in the residence of former MP Olcay Kılavuz.

Considering the extant evidence and the duration of their pre-trial detention, the court decreed the release of 10 out of the 22 defendants.

The subsequent hearing is scheduled for July 19, local media said.

During the hearings, gunman Özyağcı denied the allegations and claimed someone else killed Ateş.

Asserting his role as the "mastermind," Çep told the court that he was the instigator of the incident but denied any intention to kill Ateş.

Özyağcı asserted that a financial dispute between Çep and Ateş had prompted Çep to send him to Ankara with instructions to shoot Ateş in the legs. Çep claimed that the incident was not a political case but that he and Ateş agreed to intervene in a case in the judiciary and that he had paid money, but Ateş did not fulfill his promise.

Amid widespread assertions that the murder was politically driven, critics have decried the one-year delay in preparing the indictment.