A Turkish court has ordered the pretrial detention of Mayor Emrah Kozay, his predecessor Soner Çetin and 32 others in a corruption investigation into the opposition-run municipality of Çukurova in southern Turkey, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported Friday.
Fifteen other suspects were released under judicial supervision following questioning at an Adana courthouse. Three deputy mayors were among those jailed, while a fourth was released under supervision, according to Anadolu’s report. Two suspects remain at large.
The decisions follow October 19 raids in which gendarmes initially detained 44 people and searched municipal offices in Çukurova, a district of Adana. Five more suspects were subsequently taken into custody, bringing the total to 49.
The Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office alleges that municipal contracts and purchases involved irregularities, including the improper use of exemptions from competitive bidding requirements through a municipality-owned company.
Prosecutors also allege that contractors had to pay bribes to receive payments and that the municipality paid salaries to “ghost workers” — people on its payroll who did not report for work.
The investigation concerns suspected bribery, bid rigging, aggravated fraud and involvement in a criminal organization. Investigators examined procurement documents from 2024 through 2026 with the assistance of a three-member expert panel, Anadolu reported.
Kozay was elected in March 2024 as a Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate but joined the main opposition New Party in August. Çetin is a CHP deputy secretary-general.
Responding to the initial raids, New Party Adana lawmaker Burhanettin Bulut accused the government of using judicial proceedings to seize municipalities it could not win through elections.
“Today’s target of the ‘Join us or go to prison’ operations was Çukurova,” Bulut wrote on X.
Bulut accused the government of ignoring those responsible for an investment fund scandal, which led to investigations into suspected market manipulation and the liquidation of 131 funds, while targeting elected local governments.
“The will of Çukurova cannot be disregarded through pressure, detentions and politically motivated operations carried out through the judiciary,” he said.
The case is part of a series of investigations targeting opposition-led municipalities since the March 2024 local elections, in which the CHP defeated President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) nationwide.
Opposition parties describe the investigations as politically motivated. The government denies interfering in the judiciary.
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