Özkan Yalım, mayor of the western province of Uşak for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), will likely be expelled from the party, media reports say. On Saturday, the party’s chair, Özgür Özel, apologized for “shameful” footage of Yalım during a police raid on Friday. Yalım was caught on police camera half-naked when he opened the door with a towel wrapped around his waist in a hotel room in the capital Ankara on Friday.
Police officers detained Yalım and 21-year-old S.A., an employee of the Uşak municipality in the raid on the hotel room, in an investigation into a corruption case. Reports said S.A. was the “mistress” of the 57-year-old mayor, who is married with three children. Uğur Dündar, a pro-CHP journalist, said in a social media post on Sunday that the party would refer Yalım to its disciplinary board for potential expulsion unless the mayor resigned before the disciplinary meeting scheduled for Monday.
Özel has defended the mayor for what he called the latter’s invasion of privacy but said he felt shame for “such a disgrace.” Speaking at an event in the western city of Çanakkale on Saturday, Özel said he was “troubled” because they allowed such a disgrace. “Yalım has to account to his family for what happened, but we have a responsibility towards the people of Uşak. We will do whatever is necessary,” Özel said on Saturday.
The Sabah newspaper reported that Yalım had another extramarital affair and the woman in question in that affair was also detained in the corruption operation related to the Uşak municipality. The newspaper reported that Yalım tried to hide his second cellphone to the underwear of S.A. during the operation.
At least a dozen CHP mayors have been detained or arrested since last year, with several more facing ongoing corruption and bribery investigations or trials. High-profile cases include Istanbul’s suspended mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, and Antalya’s ousted mayor, Muhittin Böcek, whose cases have drawn national attention following their arrests late last year and trials that began earlier this month.
Friday’s operation was coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, with raids carried out in Uşak, Ankara and Kocaeli. Prosecutors allege that Yalım and 12 others received bribes from individuals and companies in connection with municipal tenders.
According to the investigation, Uşak Municipality is accused of using duplicate invoicing in public tenders, with the difference allegedly collected as illicit payments. Authorities also claim that companies were pressured to provide business partnerships to individuals linked to the mayor’s family in exchange for securing contracts.
Prosecutors further allege that deputy mayors collected large sums of money under the guise of donations to Uşakspor, a local football club, but transferred the funds into personal accounts. Some payments were allegedly delivered in cash to the mayor’s office and handled without receipts.
The investigation also points to alleged misuse of municipal funds, including expenses at entertainment venues that were reportedly billed to the municipality as “representation and hospitality” costs.
Authorities claim that Yalım transferred all his registered assets to his driver, Cihan Aras, in 2025 to avoid possible seizure. Prosecutors also allege that a municipal position was given to an individual with personal ties to the mayor despite no evidence of actual employment.
Financial findings by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) revealed high-value money movements, including large cash deposits, asset purchases and international transfers with unidentified sources. Investigators said these transactions were inconsistent with the suspects’ financial profiles and supported by communication records and witness statements.
Authorities also allege that personnel working at a facility linked to Yalım were registered as municipal employees, with their insurance premiums paid by the municipality. In another claim, prosecutors said a businessperson who refused to meet a vehicle request from the mayor later faced administrative penalties against his business.
