Erdal Beşikçioğlu, the Republican People's Party (CHP) mayor of Ankara's Etimesgut district, was among 40 suspects remanded in custody on Monday as part of a corruption investigation involving the municipality.
The actor-turned-mayor was detained last Thursday along with 55 other suspects, most of whom were municipal employees.
The investigation targeting the mayor and the other suspects stems from allegations of irregularities in municipal operations, forgery of official documents, and the payment of bribes to municipal officials in connection with construction permits.
Beşikçioğlu denied the corruption allegations during a statement to prosecutors that lasted about four hours. When questioned about his reported monthly income of TL 2.5 million, he said that his earnings came from ticket revenues generated by a theater he owns, his salary as mayor, and royalty payments from his acting work. However, according to security sources cited by Turkish media outlets, his bank transactions did not correspond with his declared monthly income. The financial analysis included in the investigation file reportedly identified discrepancies and suspicious transfers into his bank accounts.
He also said he was unaware of the controversial tender processes, claiming that he had no duty or authority regarding tenders and that his role was limited to general supervision.
