Thirty-four people, including Mayor Emrah Kozay, were arrested in an investigation into allegations of corruption in tender and direct procurement procedures at Çukurova Municipality in Adana. Those arrested included former Mayor Soner Çetin, deputy mayors Uğur Can Doğan and Bahadır Özdemir, and Kozay’s aunt Sıdıka Şire. The court ordered house arrest for İmar A.Ş. General Manager Erdal Biber. Prosecutors alleged that in the operation launched on 19 October, the exemption provision of the Public Procurement Law had been improperly used in purchases by a municipal company, bribes had been taken from contractors in return for progress payments and salaries had been paid to some employees who did not report to work. The investigation included charges of “establishing and leading a criminal organization,” “bribery,” “aggravated fraud” and “bid rigging.” Suspended Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar criticized Kozay’s arrest and called for him to be tried without detention. Kozay had previously announced that he had left the CHP and would continue his political career in the YENİ Party.
23 October 2026
Agos