Operation against Çeşme Municipality: Footage of bribery bargaining is in the investigation file

Within the scope of the investigation carried out against Çeşme Municipality in İzmir on allegations of "establishing, managing and being a member of a criminal organization", "bribery", "extortion" and "forgery of official documents", gendarmerie teams caught 9 of the 12 suspects for whom a detention order was issued.

Under the coordination of the Çeşme Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a simultaneous operation was carried out in Izmir against 12 suspects by the Provincial Gendarmerie Command Anti-Terrorism Branch Directorate teams.

Among them, Çeşme Municipality Deputy Director of Zoning and Urbanization B.S. and 9 suspects, including Real Estate and Expropriation Deputy Director Ç.B., were detained.

It was stated that one of the suspects, former Çeşme Deputy Mayor O.G., was detained in prison within the scope of another investigation.

It was learned that the locations of the other suspects were determined and the procedures for their detention and bringing them to Izmir are continuing.

A large number of digital materials and documents were seized from the suspects' homes and workplaces.

BRIBERY NEGOTIATION

On the other hand, secret videos and WhatsApp correspondence proving a bribe negotiation were revealed within the scope of the investigation. It has been documented through video recordings that people who demanded 2.5 times more than the legal fee from a citizen directed the money to the personal account of a staff member whom they used as the municipality's safe. The footage recorded by the whistleblower and included in the investigation file includes the complaining citizen's telephone conversation with ÇEŞTUR Office Officer D. S. Y. During the meeting, negotiations can be heard to approve documents such as rental agreements, hotel and spa leases. It is noteworthy that while an amount much higher than the legal fee is requested to handle the citizens' transactions, the municipality staff use the expressions "it was the manager's clear decision, he set this condition". In the continuation of the conversations, it is understood that senior managers refrained from entering into direct money negotiations, saying "it should not be heard about left and right or cause trouble".

70 THOUSAND TL REQUESTED

Correspondence via WhatsApp and receipts for money transfers are also among the evidence. According to the screenshots in the file, ÇEŞTUR staff A.M. sends the IBAN number of Office Management Staff A.A. to the citizen via WhatsApp. It is seen that A. M. put pressure on the money to be deposited urgently into this account, which was considered to be used as a safe in the bribery network, saying "the manager will run away, the cashier will be closed, brother, what did you do?" It is clearly reflected in the records that during the phone calls, a total of 70 thousand lira was requested, 50 thousand lira in cash or in account and 20 thousand lira as hotel fee.

It was also determined that the system was operated via IBAN after the citizen said, "I cannot give it in person, send IBAN."

The tipster forwards the receipt stating that he sent 70 thousand liras to the account in question on June 19, 2026, to the suspects along with the message "I sent 70 thousand TL."

It is known that the receipt of the money transfer transaction was handed over to the judicial authorities by the whistleblower to be added to the judicial file.