A Turkish court on Monday ordered the arrest of Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), with the Interior Ministry subsequently suspending him from office pending trial.
According to Turkish media, the Bolu 2nd Criminal Magistrate of Peace ordered the arrest of Özcan on misconduct charges as part of an investigation into alleged extortion involving supermarket chains. Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can was also arrested, while city council member Ali Sarıyıldız was put under house arrest for four months and 10 other suspects were released under judicial supervision.
Özcan had been detained on Saturday.
Prosecutors allege that managers from several supermarket chains were pressured to make donations to the “I Love Bolu Foundation” (BOLSEV). Supermarkets that declined to sign advertising agreements were allegedly subjected to inspections outside routine practices, and branches of the A101 and ŞOK chains had their business licenses revoked after refusing to enter into contracts.
Özcan denied the allegations in a social media post, saying the case was linked to scholarships provided to students and describing his detention as “an honor.” He said supermarket representatives had themselves proposed directing their advertising budgets to billboard space owned by a municipality-linked company and operated by the foundation.
Özcan also alleged that the prosecutor handling the case harbored personal animosity toward him, stemming from a complaint he filed with Turkey’s Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) against the chief public prosecutor after a deadly ski resort fire in January 2025.
His attorney, Ferit Atalay, said the foundation was transparent and properly overseen, adding that it was established to fund the education of 528 students. He described the charges as unfounded and politically motivated.
CHP leadership criticized the arrest. Party leader Özgür Özel said Özcan had collected donations from local business owners to support disadvantaged children. “What Tanju did is not something to be ashamed of, but something to be proud of,” Özel said.
CHP Deputy Chair Burhanettin Bulut described the arrest as “a decision taken with political motives.” Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş also criticized the arrest, saying the fundamental principle should be trial without pretrial detention.
The arrest comes amid broader pressure on CHP-led municipalities, which has intensified since the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, in March 2025 on corruption charges.
According to a CHP report released in October 2025, 16 mayors from the party are jailed and 13 municipalities have been put under government-appointed trustees since the CHP’s sweeping victory in the March 2024 local elections.
The party and its supporters say the legal proceedings targeting the CHP are designed to neutralize elected officials and sideline opposition leaders after the party’s gains in the 2024 polls.
