5 Suspects Arrested in the Investigation Against Bolu Municipality Cooperative

A total of 11 people were detained, including additional detentions, in the operation carried out by the Provincial Gendarmerie Command teams against the cooperative and affiliated company within the Bolu Municipality, under the coordination of the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

3 of the 11 suspects detained on Monday were released upon the instructions of the prosecutor's office after their statements to the gendarmerie yesterday. Today at noon, 8 suspects were sent to the courthouse under extensive security measures.

Boltartek Tarım Ürünleri ve Teknolojileri San. was sent to the courthouse. Tic. Ltd. Ltd. General Manager Bahadır Acar and S.S. 8 suspects, including the Chairman of the Board of Köroğlu Organic and Local Products Production and Marketing Cooperative, Cevat Çatlamış, were referred to the judge on duty in the evening with a request for arrest, after interrogations by the prosecutor's office.

After the court, which lasted until the night hours, suspects Bahadır Acar, Cevat Çatlamış, Uğur Şirin, Bayram Tarhan and Fatih Demiral were arrested and sent to prison. The suspects Özkan Özbek, Yalçın Soykan and Samet Can Sınmaz were released on condition of judicial control.

PUBLIC DAMAGE CLAIM OF APPROXIMATELY 24 MILLION LIRAS

In the expert report dated September 24, 2026, which was included in the investigation file, it was claimed that the irregularity was carried out through mushroom cultivation tents.

In the report, it was determined that 21 mushroom cultivation tents built and in use in 2021 were shown as newly purchased in the tender held in 2023. In the investigation, it was determined that Boltartek company, whose capital belongs entirely to Bolu Municipality, purchased the tent system, whose second-hand market value was 10 million 97 thousand 189 TL including VAT, from the cooperative for 34 million 20 thousand TL, and due to this transaction, an overpayment of approximately 24 million lira was made to the cooperative, causing public damage.