Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained 22 people in a new investigation into alleged improper payments by the opposition-run municipality of Bolu, with prosecutors saying a contractor received 34.3 million lira for garbage trucks recorded as working on days they were not in service, the Birgün daily reported.
Suspended Mayor Tanju Özcan, a politician from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) who has been jailed since March in a separate corruption case, is among 23 suspects in the new investigation. Since Özcan is already in custody, detention orders were issued for the 22 other suspects, all of whom had been detained by Tuesday afternoon.
The Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation concerns a 2024 municipal contract for vehicles and construction equipment used for garbage collection, transportation and general cleaning services.
An expert report compared vehicle-tracking data from technology company Arvento with records from the municipality’s garbage disposal site and monthly work logs. Investigators concluded that some garbage trucks had been listed as working on days when they were not actually in service and that the contractor, the MCY-Yeşilçam joint venture, consequently received about 34.3 million lira in improper payments through 19 payment claims.
The investigation targets municipal officials involved in approving the work and payments as well as representatives of companies that did business with the municipality. The detainees include Deputy Mayor Gülden Özaydın and acting sanitation department director Basri Baytekin. Twelve of those detained represent eight companies, while the other 10 work for the municipality.
Gendarmes carried out simultaneous raids in seven provinces and searched Bolu City Hall, seizing documents and other evidence connected to the contract.
The new investigation is separate from the case that has kept Özcan in pretrial detention since March. He was arrested March 2 and suspended from office the following day after prosecutors accused him and other municipal officials of offenses including extortion through abuse of public office, bribery and aggravated fraud. He and 18 other defendants are now standing trial in that case.
Özcan has denied the charges. During the first hearing in July, he argued that the evidence against him was weak and said testimony heard by the court supported his defense. The court ordered him and three other defendants to remain in pretrial detention and scheduled the next hearing for September 7.
CHP officials have described Özcan’s detention in the earlier case as politically motivated. His prosecution has come amid a broader series of criminal investigations involving opposition-run municipalities and elected officials since 2024. The government denies accusations that the cases are politically driven and claims Turkey’s judiciary operates independently.
