Erdal Beşikçioğlu, the Republican People's Party (CHP) mayor of Ankara's Etimesgut district, was among 40 suspects remanded in custody on Monday as part of a corruption investigation involving the municipality.
The actor-turned-mayor was detained last Thursday along with 55 other suspects, most of whom were municipal employees.
The investigation targeting the mayor and the other suspects stems from allegations of irregularities in municipal operations, forgery of official documents, and the payment of bribes to municipal officials in connection with construction permits.
Beşikçioğlu denied the corruption allegations during a statement to prosecutors that lasted about four hours. When questioned about his reported monthly income of TL 2.5 million, he said that his earnings came from ticket revenues generated by a theater he owns, his salary as mayor, and royalty payments from his acting work. However, according to security sources cited by Turkish media outlets, his bank transactions did not correspond with his declared monthly income. The financial analysis included in the investigation file reportedly identified discrepancies and suspicious transfers into his bank accounts.
He also said he was unaware of the controversial tender processes, claiming that he had no duty or authority regarding tenders and that his role was limited to general supervision.
He claimed that he became aware of the alleged irregularities only after reports were issued by the Court of Accounts, which is responsible for auditing municipalities.
According to reports included in the investigation file, several suspects were allegedly involved in irregularities in the procurement of goods for the municipality's Directorate of Social Assistance Affairs. An expert witness report alleged that the municipality paid for a large quantity of materials, ranging from disposable gowns to disinfectants, even though they were never delivered.
The report compared market prices with the invoices submitted to the municipality and claimed that the products had been purchased at prices approximately 10 to 15 times higher than prevailing market rates, resulting in an alleged public loss of more than TL 812,000.
The report further alleged that a fraudulent market research authorization document had been created and that the verification code and address belonging to an unrelated service procurement had been reused in connection with the personal care supplies purchase. It also alleged that goods that had never been delivered were accepted as though they had been received, that signatures on certain documents differed from one another, and that inventory transaction records had been prepared contrary to the facts.
According to data from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) contained in the investigation file, part of the money transferred by the municipality to a contractor's account was subsequently transferred to the contractor's wife, then to municipal employee Rıza Emrah Altınok, and finally to another municipal employee, Serkan Kozan. Investigators said the alleged scheme resembled corruption methods uncovered in investigations into other municipalities, where contractors were awarded tenders in exchange for bribes.
The investigation file also includes allegations that the municipal company Etimkent suffered losses as a result of duplicate payments.
According to the report, in connection with a bread procurement and distribution contract, the company made several cash payments to an employee in 2025. The report alleges that the money was never deposited into municipal accounts, raising suspicions of financial misconduct.
One of the complainants identified in the case alleged that he was asked to pay bribes in order to obtain a building permit. The complainant, identified by the initials F.K., told investigators that he sought permits for a villa development in the district in 2024.
"After applying to the municipality for the permit, Planning Director Serpil Zengin called me on my mobile phone and invited me to the municipality. During our private meeting in her office, she explicitly requested a bribe of between TL 5 million and TL 6 million in exchange for issuing the permit. I objected and, after an argument, left her office. Shortly afterward, Deputy Mayor Mutlu Kerimoğlu contacted me via WhatsApp. I declined the WhatsApp call and instead called him on his regular mobile number. He invited me to his office and openly demanded TL 4 million as a bribe for the permit," he told investigators.
CHP mayors have been the subject of corruption investigations in recent years. Investigators have alleged that some mayors and other municipal officials accepted bribes from companies seeking to do business with municipalities or from contractors seeking building permits that otherwise would not have been approved. Last Wednesday, Sinem Dedetaş, the CHP mayor of Istanbul's Üsküdar district, was detained on similar charges along with several municipal employees. She was subsequently arrested.