Six suspects, including a deputy mayor, were detained on June 17 in a dawn raid in the Seferihisar district of the western province of İzmir as part of a bribery investigation.
Prosecutors said the operation targeted alleged corruption linked to municipal construction and zoning procedures, as evidence purportedly suggested some individuals and entities obtained unlawful benefits in exchange for facilitating administrative approvals. Authorities said there was evidence indicating around 6 million Turkish Liras (some $130,000) in alleged bribe transactions.
The raid is the latest in a series of corruption investigations involving opposition-run municipalities following the 2024 local polls, after which dozens of mayors across Türkiye have been arrested or removed from office, many from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The Seferihisar investigation is among separate probes led by the chief prosecutor’s office in İzmir into the larger metropolitan administration. Those include allegations of misconduct at municipal subsidiary İZBETON involving subcontracting practices, and a separate case examining alleged irregularities in land-for-construction projects.
In a related case in May, authorities arrested Güzelbahçe Mayor Mustafa Günay and municipal planning official Özgür Bayraktar over allegations including organized crime, bribery and abuse of office. The Interior Ministry later said Günay had been suspended as a temporary measure.
In June, Buca Mayor Görkem Duman was also arrested in a separate investigation and subsequently removed from office under measures tied to allegations of organized crime, bribery and embezzlement.
