Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan has rejected bribery accusations, media reported on March 1, a day after he was detained as part of an investigation involving 12 other suspects.
According to a statement from prosecutors in the northern province, the investigation concerned demands made for advertising contracts with four major supermarket chains in the city through the municipality’s own subsidiary.
In cases where the markets rejected the offers, municipal inspections were conducted and the markets were fined and banned from trade for five days.
The prosecutor’s office classified these actions as “extortion” or “coercive embezzlement,” which carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years in Türkiye.
As part of the probe, the mayor from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) detained on Feb. 28, along with senior municipal officials and former directors.
Özcan’s interrogation at the gendarmerie has concluded, during which he reportedly denied all allegations, stating that no coercion or pressure was applied to market owners to demand money.
The detention was announced by Özcan himself on social media, where he wrote, “I have been detained for providing scholarships to thousands of students in my city.”
“This is an honor for me.”
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel criticized the detention, saying, “Detaining a mayor with a gendarmerie raid instead of calling them in for questioning is not impartial justice, but a form of adversarial criminal law.”
He added that Özcan is being accused in connection with donations made to a scholarship-providing foundation in the city.
Özel affirmed CHP’s support for Özcan, calling the actions “unlawful and unacceptable in the conscience of the public.”
Özcan was previously suspended from the CHP for one year on July 26, 2023. After the temporary suspension ended, he returned to the party.
The recent investigation and detention are the latest part of a broader crackdown on CHP- mayors, with high-profile figures such as Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu among those facing allegations of bribery and manipulation of public tenders.
The CHP has described these operations as politically motivated, a claim rejected by the government.
