Gezi Park is once again under the ownership of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB)
Istanbul 1st Civil Court of First Instance ruled on March 12, 2021, that the transfer of Taksim’s Gezi Park to the Sultan Bayezid Hanı Veli Hazretleri Foundation by the Directorate General of Foundations was contrary to the law.
The legal battle initiated by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) regarding the transfer of ownership of Taksim Gezi Park to the Sultan Bayezid Foundation has concluded. Istanbul 1st Civil Court of First Instance overturned the registration decision in favor of the foundation made by the Directorate General of Foundations of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The court emphasized that the properties in question had not been formed through the foundation and ruled for the re-registration of the park under the name of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Taksim Gezi Park, owned by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), was transferred out of municipal control by the Directorate General of Foundations based on the claim that the conditions listed in Article 30 of the Foundations Law were met.
On March 12, 2021, it was registered in the land registry in the name of the Sultan Bayezid Hanı Veli Hazretleri Foundation. İBB immediately resorted to legal action. İBB filed a lawsuit on April 9, 2021, claiming that the registration process was illegal. The case was heard by the Istanbul 1st Civil Court of First Instance.
EXPERTS SAID ‘THERE WAS NO FOUNDATION ASSET’
During the judicial process, expert reports from four foundation law experts, including scholars and academics, were submitted to the court.
The reports stated that there was no ownership right of the Sultan Bayezid Hanı Hazretleri Foundation in the properties in question, and it could not be inferred that the parcels in question were cultural assets created through the foundation. It was also mentioned that the properties were not formed through the foundation and there were no foundation cultural assets in the properties.
