The mayor of Kırıkkale province’s Yahşihan district, Ahmet Sungur, was suspended from office as a temporary measure, the Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday.
Sungur and several other municipal officials were detained Friday as part of an investigation into “extortion through coercion.”
Those in custody include Deputy Mayor C.Y., former Deputy Mayor O.U., Zoning Director S.A., municipal employees Y.N.Y. and M.S., and former zoning director and businessperson U.B. and S.G.Ç.
Sungur is a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The party’s Central Executive Committee has referred him to its Central Disciplinary Board with a request for expulsion, underscoring its stance against corruption allegations.
Sungur, 53, has served multiple terms as Yahşihan mayor. Born in Kırıkkale in 1971, he began working at the municipality as a civil servant in 1989 before being elected mayor in 2009. He was reelected in 2014 and again in 2024, when he won with 41.58% of the vote.
