Authorities apprehended 17 suspects on Oct. 7 in yet another operation targeting corruption allegations engulfing municipalities. The deputy mayor of Esenyurt, Istanbul’s most populous district, was among them. New details from the investigation indicate that Yusuf Ulutaş, a lawyer who previously served as deputy mayor of Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district, enriched himself through bribes.
A report by the Sabah newspaper says Halil Yılmaz, a businessman, told authorities that Ulutaş demanded TL 9 million in exchange for settling the municipality’s outstanding debts to Yılmaz. The businessman said he paid the money in two separate installments at Ulutaş’ municipal office.
Ulutaş and nine other suspects were remanded in custody last week, while the remaining suspects were released under judicial control. The investigation concerns allegations of corruption and bribery at the municipality, which is currently run by a district governor appointed as a trustee following the 2024 arrest of former Mayor Ahmet Özer on charges of links to a terrorist group.
According to the Sabah report, the investigation uncovered a scheme involving kickbacks from public tenders, millions of dollars handed over in cash and secret financial transactions among suspects. Investigators examined witness and suspect statements and uncovered how certain companies were favored in municipal tenders and how municipal officials allegedly demanded 20% of the amount owed to companies in exchange for releasing payments for work they had completed.
Another suspect, Orhan Yıldırım, admitted to paying Ulutaş around $400,000 in exchange for the release of outstanding payments, the report said. An investigation by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) found that 20% of payments made to companies for work carried out for the municipality were transferred to municipal suspects on the same day the payments were made.
Authorities identified another suspect, Anıl Alioğlu, as an alleged intermediary who delivered bribes from companies to municipal officials. The investigation also found that bribes were not always paid in cash and were sometimes delivered in the form of gift cards redeemable at supermarkets and laptop computers.
An examination of Ulutaş’ bank accounts showed that the transaction volume surged to TL 231 million in 2025 from just TL 601,000 in 2017. Investigators also found a transaction volume of TL 212 million in the accounts of Ulutaş’ sister, who works for Turkish Airlines (THY).
