Turkish authorities detained Silivri Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu and 16 other suspects on Friday as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and organized criminal activity involving municipal operations, prosecutors said.
The Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched the investigation after identifying alleged irregularities in a range of municipal procedures, including personnel recruitment, business transfers and leases, zoning and licensing decisions, sealing procedures, unauthorized construction cases, property acquisitions and the sale of municipal assets.
According to prosecutors, an expert report found that the sale of a municipally owned property classified as a non-registered public park area below its market value resulted in a public loss of approximately TL 21.5 million (nearly $470,000).
Based on the findings, prosecutors launched an investigation on charges including establishing and leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, bribery, extortion, influence peddling, abuse of office, bid rigging, interference in contract performance, causing zoning pollution and laundering assets derived from criminal activity.
Authorities alleged that the suspects acted within an organized structure and used their influence over municipal affairs to secure unlawful benefits.
The prosecutor’s office issued detention warrants for the suspects, citing strong evidence linking them to the alleged offenses.
Financial Crimes Investigation Unit (MASAK) officers from the Istanbul Police Department carried out simultaneous operations, detaining 17 suspects, including Balcıoğlu. Police also conducted searches at the Silivri Municipality building.
The suspects were taken for medical examinations before being transferred to police headquarters for further questioning. The investigation remains ongoing.
Türkiye's main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is under mounting scrutiny as a wave of corruption, bribery and terrorism-related investigations sweeps across its municipalities. At least a dozen CHP mayors have been detained or arrested since last year, including Istanbul’s former Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, Özkan Yalım, the mayor of the western city of Uşak, Mustafa Bozbey, mayor of Bursa and the mayor of Mediterranean province Antalya, Muhittin Böcek.
