Turkish police detained 15 suspects Wednesday in an investigation alleging that individuals were fraudulently registered as employees of municipal companies while actually working at businesses owned by the Republican People’s Party's (CHP) suspended Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım, prosecutors said.
The Uşak Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued detention warrants for 22 suspects as part of an investigation into alleged aggravated fraud causing losses to public institutions. Police said the suspects were listed as insured employees of municipality-owned companies despite allegedly working at Yalım's hotel, restaurant and entertainment venues.
Authorities said 15 suspects were detained in coordinated raids, while five were already in custody on unrelated charges. Efforts to locate the remaining two suspects were ongoing.
Police also seized multiple digital devices during the operation.
Yalım was arrested in March in a separate investigation into alleged bribery, extortion and bid-rigging involving the Uşak Municipality and was later suspended from office pending trial.
On corruption in the Uşak municipality, Yalım said they created fictitious job positions at the municipality for the players of the sports club Uşakspor, as well as the spouses of some players. He confessed that he used donations to the municipality for his private expenses on several occasions, expressing regret and offering to pay them back.
Yalım was expelled from his party, almost two months after his arrest in Ankara on charges of corruption.
