Mehmet Ayhan: we planned the meetings with Tuncel with my superiors

The Dink case continues in 14th High Penal Court. Arrested suspects Ali Fuat Yılmazer, Ramazan Akyürek, tutuksuz sanılar Celalettin Cerrah, Ahmet İlhan Güler, Sabri Uzun, Mehmet Ayhan, Ercan Demir, Onur Karakaya, Faruk Sarı and Erhan Tuncel are present at the hearing with 35 suspects. 

Ogün Samast, Yasin Hayal, Hamdi Egbatan, Osman Gülbel, Ali Poyraz, Şükrü Yıldız, Mehmet Ali Özkılınç are attending the hearing through video call.

Dink family's lawyers Hakan Bakırcıoğlu, Bahri Belen, Emel Ataktürk Sevimli, Sebu Aslangil, Ayşenur Demirkale, İnci İşbulur, Güray Dağ and Hülya Deveci are also present.

CHP Deputy Chair Sezgin Tanrıkulu is following the hearing.

Mehmet Ayhan's defence

Mehmet Ayhan, an officer from Trabzon Security Directorate Intelligence Branch, is presenting his defence. Ayhan said that he wasn't working in Trabzon when Erhan Tuncel was employed as an intelligence staff and he didn't attend all the meetings with Tuncel.

Denying the claims of being a member of Gulenist circle, Ayhan said that he reported all the information obtained by Erhan Tuncel. He also claimed that Tuncel informed that Yasin Hayal abandoned the plans of murder.

Saying that he met with Tuncel after the murder, Ayhan said that Tuncel told them Yasin Hayal has nothing to do with this murder.

He also talked about the meetings with Tuncel after the murder: “It is normal to meet the staff as long as there is more information to be obtained. Or for preventing the staff from acting hostile. We didn't say him that he is no longer an employee and continue to see him. I didn't planned the meetings by myself. We did it with my superiors.”

The hearing will continue after the lunch break with Ayhan's defence.