Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara was released pending trial on Aug. 6 in a high-profile corruption case involving allegations that businessman Aziz İhsan Aktaş organized a bribery network to influence municipal tenders.
Çaykara’s release reduced the number of jailed mayors from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the case to two. Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat and Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin remain in custody.
The court granted Çaykara’s release during a routine review of pretrial detention, citing the 14 months he had spent in prison. He will remain under judicial supervision. Seyhan Municipality’s Cleaning Works Director Özcan Zenger was also released under similar conditions.
The next ruling in the case is expected on Aug. 24 following the completion of hearings.
The trial began on Jan. 27 with 200 defendants, including seven CHP mayors, accused of involvement in a scheme allegedly led by Aktaş to secure municipal contracts through bribery. The defendants deny the accusations.
Prosecutors have alleged that Aktaş established a system to obtain tenders through bribery and sought a prison sentence for allegedly forming a criminal organization.
They have also requested that Aktaş benefit from effective remorse provisions because of information he provided during the investigation.
An interim ruling in May saw four defendants released, including Beşiktaş Deputy Mayor Ali Rıza Yılmaz and Akpolat’s relatives Burak Kangal, Kazım Gökhan Yankılıç and his friend Rabil Artan.
Akpolat appeared before judges on Feb. 4 and denied all charges.
Then-CHP leader Özgür Özel has criticized the case, saying prosecutors had failed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship and arguing that the indictment lacked sufficient evidence.
