A municipal council member from Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was detained on Wednesday in the northwestern province of Edirne over allegations that he demanded 200,000 euros ($232,000) from a contractor in exchange for securing approval of a building permit.
Engin Yağcılar, a member of the Edirne Municipal Council and deputy chair of the CHP group in the council, was taken into custody as part of an investigation led by the Edirne Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities also searched Yağcılar’s home and law office and launched a separate investigation into suspected laundering of assets derived from crime.
The investigation began after a contractor, identified by the initials N.Ö., approached law enforcement authorities on Aug. 23, prosecutors said.
The contractor alleged that Yağcılar contacted him and said he could secure approval for a building permit in exchange for 200,000 euros.
