One day after prosecutors sought the lifting of his parliamentary immunity, New Party (YP) lawmaker Veli Ağbaba is under renewed scrutiny in another investigation. Ağbaba's brother was among the two suspects detained on Wednesday in a probe in the western city of Izmir focusing on alleged tender-rigging involving a subsidiary of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.
Prosecutors said Hür Ağbaba was detained in connection with the investigation into Egeşehir. The subsidiary's manager and employees of two construction companies were already arrested in May on charges of tender-rigging. Veli Ağbaba is charged with the same offense, though details of his alleged connection to the case remain unclear.
On Tuesday, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office sent a request to the Justice Ministry seeking the lifting of Ağbaba's parliamentary immunity after he recently switched from the Republican People's Party (CHP) to the YP. The office said in a statement that Ağbaba is the subject of a bribery investigation.
The statement added that Ağbaba, acting on the instructions of former CHP Chair and YP founder Özgür Özel, allegedly obtained money from Gökhan Böcek, the son of former Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek, in exchange for securing the latter's nomination in the municipal elections. Gökhan Böcek has already been arrested on corruption charges.
Ağbaba is also accused of influencing a tender issued by the CHP-run Çankaya Municipality in Ankara by helping award a waste collection contract to a company of his choice and collecting cash from municipalities in Izmir to be used in the 2024 election campaign.
Ağbaba, widely regarded as one of Özgür Özel's closest political allies and expected to play a prominent role in the newly established YP, has been named in several judicial investigations and political controversies.
He has been mentioned in allegations related to the disputed CHP congress, municipal candidate selection, public tenders and appointments within CHP-run municipalities.
Gökhan Böcek alleged that Ağbaba, acting "on Özgür Özel's instructions," demanded TL 30 million (nearly $650,000) during his father's nomination process for the Antalya mayoral candidacy.
Most recently, Ağbaba's name resurfaced during the corruption investigation into the Etimesgut Municipality in Ankara. The investigation led to the detention of 55 people, including Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu. Prosecutors are examining the appointment of Deputy Mayor Mutlu Kerimoğlu, who has ties to Ağbaba, Beşikçioğlu and former Bakırköy Mayor Bülent Kerimoğlu. According to claims cited by pro-CHP sources, Kerimoğlu was appointed deputy mayor at Ağbaba's personal request.
Etimesgut corruption
In related news, media outlets reported that corruption in the CHP-run Etimesgut Municipality was not limited to bribes allegedly paid in exchange for building and zoning permits. The Sabah newspaper on Wednesday published a report detailing the investigation into allegedly inflated municipal bills.
In one instance, investigators found that the municipality paid TL 100 million to organize an event that would have cost at most TL 8 million. Serkan Kozan, a municipal bureaucrat cooperating with authorities, helped expose what investigators describe as widespread corruption within the municipality.
Kozan told investigators that Deputy Mayor Taylan Özgüven encouraged staff to engage in corruption.
"Help yourselves to whatever you can. We are here for another five years," he reportedly told staff, referring to the municipality's term in office.
Kozan also told investigators that municipal bureaucrats would not approve permits without first receiving bribes and that public tenders were routinely awarded to companies selected in advance by municipal officials.