A municipal council member from Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was detained on Wednesday in the northwestern province of Edirne over allegations that he demanded 200,000 euros ($232,000) from a contractor in exchange for securing approval of a building permit.
Engin Yağcılar, a member of the Edirne Municipal Council and deputy chair of the CHP group in the council, was taken into custody as part of an investigation led by the Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities also searched Yağcılar’s home and law office and launched a separate investigation into suspected laundering of assets derived from crime.
The investigation began after a contractor, identified by the initials N.Ö., approached law enforcement authorities on Aug. 23, prosecutors said.
The contractor alleged that Yağcılar contacted him and said he could secure approval for a building permit in exchange for 200,000 euros.
Prosecutors subsequently obtained authorization to monitor Yağcılar’s communications and activities using technical surveillance.
Yağcılar and the contractor met at a mosque in Edirne on Sept. 1, after which authorities detained Yağcılar. Investigators recorded the meeting on video and audio, according to information from the investigation.
Authorities searching Yağcılar’s residence and law office seized four computers, two notebooks and five pages of documents.
Yağcılar invoked his right to remain silent while in police custody.
Prosecutors also opened a separate investigation under Article 282 of the Turkish Penal Code, which covers the laundering of assets derived from criminal activity.
Authorities are examining Yağcılar’s financial and asset transactions, while Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) is expected to prepare a report as part of the investigation.
The latest investigation comes months after Edirne Municipality was implicated in a separate probe involving building permit procedures.
Thirteen suspects, including the municipality’s then-director of zoning and a municipal council member, were detained in February as part of that investigation.
