Buca district of western province of Izmir, a stronghold of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was rocked by an anti-corruption operation on Monday. Incumbent Mayor Görkem Duman and his predecessor Erhan Kılıç were detained, along with 51 other suspects.
Earlier, authorities have issued detention warrants for 62 suspects. A manhunt is underway to capture the other suspects. Along with mayors, three deputy mayors, the former chair of CHP’s Buca branch, municipal bureaucrats and 16 businesspeople were detained.
Chief Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that suspects were involved in a criminal ring utilizing the resources of the municipality to enrich themselves, were bribed by contractors, involved in irregularities in construction works, illicitly used credit cards, bank accounts belonging to the municipality for their personal expenses, assaulted people who posted stories about alleged wrongdoings in the municipality and paid “ghost employees.”
Authorities have conducted another anti-corruption operation against corruption in the municipality last February and arrested seven suspects. Last month, Mustafa Günay, another CHP mayor for Izmir’s Güzelbahçe district, was arrested and suspended from his office, on charges of corruption.
