Dink Case: Directorate of Intelligence personnel continues to present defence

The case against the public officials, including Ramazan Akyürek, Celalettin Cerrah, Ahmet İlhan Güler and Engin Dinç, continues in Istanbul.

Yesterday Tamer Bülent Demirel and Ali Poyraz presented their defences. Today’s hearing is ended with the defence and cross examination of Osman Gülbel.

Ali Poyraz: I heard about Dink after the murder

Poyraz started to work in the Directorate of Intelligence on September 2006. He said that the intelligence reports concerning the murder hadn’t been received during his time in the office.

He said: “While I was trying to understand the duty of the office that I had been assigned recently, the murder happened. I heard about Dink after the murder. I hadn’t heard of Agos. I found out that this murder is within the scope of responsibility of our section after the murder.”

Poyraz is tried on the charges of professional misconduct and membership to an armed organization. He denied the charges against him: “How could I possible commit professional misconduct, given that I had no information about the murder?”

Osman Gülbel: “I did what I had to do”

Gülbel said that he had seen the report about Yasin Hayal’s murder plans and sent it to the relevant authorities. He said that they had also sent it to Istanbul and the information concerning Yasin Hayal’s plans was in the system of the intelligence department. He denied the accusations against him.

The hearing is postponed to December 1. It is expected that the hearing will continue with the defences of Ali Fuat Yılmazer and Ramazan Akyürek.