Gökalp Kökçü is a prosecutor who has caused controversy with his decisions and the way he handled his investigations. In his journey to the prosecutor’s office of a major metropolitan city like Istanbul, he has been subjected to justified criticism, especially for his role in sensitive cases such as the Hrant Dink murder investigation. His decisions in this process have raised serious doubts and criticisms that cannot be ignored in legal circles and public opinion.
Kökçü’s career
Kökçü started his duty as Yıldızeli (Sivas) Public Prosecutor. Then he was appointed as Kınık (İzmir) Public Prosecutor. With the HSYK’s decree dated 27.06.2007, he was appointed from Büyükçekmece Prosecutor to Eyüp Prosecutor and with the decree dated 15.06.2011, he was appointed from Eyüp Prosecutor to Istanbul Prosecutor. After 02.01.2014, he was assigned as the prosecution representative at the 12th Criminal Court of First Instance. As of 28.03.2014, he was assigned to the terrorism and organized crimes bureau. On 11.01.2016, he was removed from the terror prosecutor’s office and assigned as a general investigation prosecutor. On 27.07.2016, he was reassigned as terrorism and organized crimes prosecutor. With the HSK’s decree dated 06.10.2021, he was transferred from Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office to Istanbul Anatolian Prosecutor’s Office. With the HSK’s decree dated December 21, 2023, he was transferred from Istanbul Anatolian Prosecutor’s Office to Erzurum Regional Court of Justice Prosecutor’s Office. He retired voluntarily before starting his duty here.
Unlawful acts signed by Kökçü
- After being assigned as a terror crimes prosecutor, he became the 6th prosecutor in the investigation into the murder of Hrant Dink in late 2014. On October 19, 2015, he prepared the first indictment against public officials. After this indictment, he prepared 3 more indictments against public officials and some journalists. He claimed that the murder of Hrant DİNK was ‘an instrumental crime that was allowed to be committed in order to realize the aims of the Gülen Movement’. This fiction he put forward in the indictment formed the basis for the development of the trial.
- Along with the trial against public officials, the Additional Decision of Non-Prosecution issued on 19 October 2015 decided to terminate the investigation against 43 people, including Kemal Kerinçsiz and Veli Küçük, on the grounds that ‘no evidence could be obtained’. With this decision, the process regarding the targeting of Dink before the murder was completely terminated.
- In the indictment of the Hrant Dink case, Kökçü made an unsubstantiated claim that the murder was committed by the Gülen Movement to put Ali Fuat Yılmazer in charge of the Istanbul Police Intelligence Branch. The indictment was structured around this allegation, and while he demanded heavy penalties for those he claimed were related to the Gülen Movement, he preferred not to bring charges against public officials who were responsible for the murder. For the reports that it was not clear whether they were issued or not, he said that they were stated to have been issued, but were concealed, and made baseless inferences that the Intelligence Department was definitely aware of these concealed reports. The indictment he prepared was returned three times by the court.
- While conducting the investigation, Engin Dinç, a defendant in the case and the Trabzon Intelligence Branch Chief at the time, instructed him to prepare a report as the Head of the Department of Intelligence in the 2nd month of 2015 in order to illuminate the murder, which was an indication that the case was shady from the beginning.
- Following his indictment in the Hrant Dink case, he launched investigations against businessmen belonging to the Gülen Movement and demanded confiscation of their properties.
- As part of investigations into alleged members of the Gülen movement, he ordered massive police operations that numbered over a hundred.
- He conducted investigations against journalists such as Mehmet Baransu and Ahmet Altan, who reported on the Ergenekon and Balyoz operations, which Tayyip Erdoğan once said ‘I am the prosecutor of this case’.
Allegations Against Him
According to the news made by journalist İsmail Saymaz, it was claimed that İrem Kökçü, whom he married in 2020, was once the lawyer of Adnan Oktar, who was on trial for allegations such as sexual abuse, cruelty, and deprivation of liberty, and was a member of the Oktar group. It was also claimed that İrem Kökçü became a member of the organization and avoided punishment by becoming a confessor.
Gökalp Kökçü had recently been conducting investigations against the Dilan-Engin Polat couple for alleged money laundering and Tuzlaspor President İlhanlı for alleged illegal betting. However, while he was handling these high-profile cases, he was transferred to Erzurum Regional Court of Appeals with the decree issued by the HSK on 21 December 2023. It was claimed that this transfer was an exile. After 20 years, Kökçü was assigned to a place outside of Istanbul for the first time, and it is claimed that the main reason for his exile was the 3 separate investigations opened against him by the HSK on allegations of bribery.
After the news about him and his wife in the last trial, Gökalp Kökçü asked for his retirement and left the prosecutor’s office.
Kökçü’s career, particularly his role in the Hrant Dink case and other high-profile investigations, has once again exposed the corruption and contradictions in Turkey’s judicial system. His transfer out of Istanbul and subsequent decision to retire marks the controversial end of his judicial career. The decisions he made during his time in office and their impact on both the judicial system and innocent individuals sheds light on the legacy he left behind in terms of the rule of law and the delivery of justice.