One day after prosecutors sought the lifting of his parliamentary immunity, New Party (YP) lawmaker Veli Ağbaba is under renewed scrutiny in another investigation. Ağbaba's brother was among the two suspects detained on Wednesday in a probe in the western city of Izmir focusing on alleged tender-rigging involving a subsidiary of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality.
Prosecutors said Hür Ağbaba was detained in connection with the investigation into Egeşehir. The subsidiary's manager and employees of two construction companies were already arrested in May on charges of tender-rigging. Veli Ağbaba is charged with the same offense, though details of his alleged connection to the case remain unclear.
On Tuesday, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office sent a request to the Justice Ministry seeking the lifting of Ağbaba's parliamentary immunity after he recently switched from the Republican People's Party (CHP) to the YP. The office said in a statement that Ağbaba is the subject of a bribery investigation.
The statement added that Ağbaba, acting on the instructions of former CHP Chair and YP founder Özgür Özel, allegedly obtained money from Gökhan Böcek, the son of former Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek, in exchange for securing the latter's nomination in the municipal elections. Gökhan Böcek has already been arrested on corruption charges.
