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A district mayor in central Türkiye province Kırıkkale was referred to court Monday in an ongoing extortion probe that has led to multiple detentions at the Yahşihan Municipality, authorities said.
Mayor Ahmet Sungur and several other municipal officials were detained Friday as part of an investigation into “extortion through coercion.”
Those in custody include Deputy Mayor C.Y., former Deputy Mayor O.U., Zoning Director S.A., municipal employees Y.N.Y. and M.S., and former zoning director and businessperson U.B. and S.G.Ç.
Police procedures and health checks have been completed before the suspects were transferred to the Kırıkkale Courthouse, officials said.
Sungur is a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). The party’s Central Executive Committee has referred him to its Central Disciplinary Board with a request for expulsion, underscoring its stance against corruption allegations.
The investigation was launched by the Kırıkkale Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. S.G.Ç. was later detained in Ankara after the initial wave of arrests.
The case follows an earlier phase of the probe in May, when former Yahşihan Mayor Osman Türkyılmaz and 12 others were taken into custody. Türkyılmaz and two other suspects were later arrested.
Sungur, 53, has served multiple terms as Yahşihan mayor. Born in Kırıkkale in 1971, he began working at the municipality as a civil servant in 1989 before being elected mayor in 2009. He was reelected in 2014 and again in 2024, when he won with 41.58% of the vote.
The investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, municipalities run by AK Party’s rival Republican People’s Party (CHP) are facing legal action over similar charges.
Since late 2024, more than 500 people, including around 15 sitting mayors, have been detained in police operations against CHP-controlled municipalities on charges of corruption, bribery and terrorism links. Over 200 have been formally arrested, while dozens benefited from “effective remorse” provisions in exchange for cooperation with prosecutors.
Authorities say more than 10 major investigations are underway into municipalities controlled by the CHP, covering allegations ranging from large-scale tender rigging and bribery to the financing of terrorist organizations.
One of the largest cases is centered in Istanbul, where prosecutors have issued a nearly 1,000-page indictment into a criminal network operated by businessperson Aziz Ihsan Aktaş. The investigation alleges widespread tender rigging and fraud worth an estimated TL 30 billion ($730 million), much of it tied to CHP-run municipalities.
Several mayors, including those of the southern province of Adana, and Esenyurt, Gaziosmanpaşa, Avcılar and Beşiktaş in Istanbul, have been arrested in the case. A detention warrant has also been issued for pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV owner Cafer Mahiroğlu, who remains at large.
Prosecutors say Aktaş himself provided extensive testimony under Türkiye’s repentance law, detailing how municipal tenders were allegedly manipulated. His confessions, combined with financial crime reports and other witness statements, form the backbone of the indictment.
The probe, which has expanded beyond Istanbul to cities including Adana and Adıyaman, has already led to multiple arrests and asset seizures. Prosecutors confirmed that nearly 200 suspects are implicated, with about 50 currently in detention.
The sweeping case is expected to be submitted to the Istanbul High Criminal Court in the coming days.
