Turkish authorities have detained the mayor of the western resort town of Kuşadası in Aydın province along with several municipal officials and business figures as part of a bribery and extortion investigation led by prosecutors in Istanbul, officials said Friday.
Kuşadası Mayor Ömer Günel, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was among six suspects taken into custody during coordinated police operations carried out early Friday in the provinces of Aydın, Izmir and Antalya, according to information from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The investigation is focused on allegations of bribery and extortion in office related to municipal projects and procurement procedures, prosecutors said.
Those detained also include Kuşadası Municipality Urban Planning Director Ahmet Taşkın and Building Control Director Mustafa Burak Gündeş, along with municipal architect and urban planner Meral Celep and two business figures, Ferdi Zenginoğlu and Hüseyin Kabasakal.
Prosecutors said the investigation was launched after witness and complainant statements, suspect testimonies, phone communication records and financial data were examined as part of the case file.
Authorities said particular attention was given to financial transactions linked to individuals connected with the municipality. Reports prepared by Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and reviews of bank account movements were among the evidence evaluated by investigators.
Prosecutors said the findings created what they described as reasonable suspicion that bribery and extortion offenses may have been committed.
As part of the probe, police searched several addresses and seized documents and materials believed to be connected to the investigation. The detained suspects were being transferred to Istanbul for further questioning, officials said.
Investigators are also examining alleged financial links between municipal officials and two business figures, Ali Ertan Yurtsever and Atila Yurtsever, who are associated with Florart Peyzaj Sanayi Ticaret A.Ş., a landscaping company operating in the Kuşadası area.
According to investigators, witness statements suggested that the suspects may have acted as intermediaries in alleged bribery and misconduct involving municipal projects.
Authorities said communication records showed frequent contact between the suspects and the businessmen.
The two businessmen were previously detained and later arrested by a court in Istanbul in connection with the same investigation, according to officials familiar with the case.
The probe also focuses on a landscaping and intersection renovation tender held by the Kuşadası Municipality in September 2020. The project contract, valued at approximately TL 8.85 million (nearly $182,000) including value-added tax, was signed on Oct. 12, 2020, with the winning bidder, Ali Ertan Yurtsever.
Investigators are reviewing financial records and communication data related to the project as part of the broader corruption inquiry.
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing and could expand as additional evidence is reviewed.
The main opposition CHP is under mounting scrutiny as a wave of corruption, bribery and terrorism-related investigations sweeps across its municipalities.
Authorities say several major investigations are underway into municipalities controlled by the CHP, covering allegations from large-scale tender rigging and bribery to financing terrorist organizations.
The most extensive probe targets the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), led by ousted Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, over claims of systematic corruption, fictitious tenders and abuse of public resources. Prosecutors allege a network, headed by senior municipal officials, rigged numerous public contracts. Imamoğlu and his aides deny all charges.