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The former mayor of Bursa province’s Nilüfer district, Turgay Erdem, and 14 other suspects were detained for the crimes of bribery, establishing a criminal organization and laundering criminal assets, the Bursa public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.
The office said it completed the prosecutor’s interrogation of a total of 22 suspects, 15 of whom have been detained as a result.
Among the suspects referred to court were Turgay Erdem, former Nilüfer Municipality zoning director Ayşegül E., building inspection company owner Tamer İ., engineer Metin Yaşar Ç., businessperson Hulusi K., contractors Serkan B., Mehmet Ziya A., Namık Ziya M. and Ekrem P., municipal employees Serkan Ç., Muttalip K. and Alaattin A., former civil servant Mehmet Fatih Ç., and company employees Berk O. and Ersel Ç., all of whom were arrested.
Turgay Erdem’s wife Z.E., brother-in-law M.T., architects U.T. and M.K., contractors Ş.A. and M.A., and driver E.T. were released on probation.
In searches within the scope of the investigation, money, jewelry, real estate, a vehicle, bank and crypto accounts were seized. Moreover, a trustee was appointed to one company through the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).
Efforts are also ongoing to catch the remaining suspect, it was added.
As part of the investigation, Erdem and 20 other suspects were detained at Sabiha Gökçen Airport on Oct. 10, and one suspect was detained yesterday while entering the country from abroad.
The 22 suspects, including Turgay Erdem, his wife, his brother-in-law, several municipal employees, contractors and the owner and employees of a building inspection company, were referred to the courthouse yesterday.
On the other side, within the scope of the bribery and corruption investigation into the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, six suspects were arrested.
In the morning, teams from the Provincial Police Department’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch detained suspects E.B., M.A.C.D., E.T.Ç., S.Ç., M.K. and Ö.Y.
The teams searched the suspects’ homes and places of work.
The high-profile investigation has already ensnared Mayor Muhittin Böcek, a prominent figure from the Republican People’s Party (CHP). Böcek was arrested in July on allegations of accepting a TL 195 million ($4.7 million) bribe with his son, reportedly laundered through jewelry stores and currency exchanges. The Interior Ministry later suspended him from duty.
The case has widened to include Böcek’s family members and former associates. His former daughter-in-law was arrested in July on charges of money laundering, while his son was taken into custody upon returning from Vienna in August. Several municipal executives and businesspeople have also been arrested or placed under judicial control as the probe expanded.
Officials say the investigation is uncovering a web of alleged corruption in municipal tenders and excavation contracts, with progress payments tied to kickbacks. Assets linked to suspects have been seized as authorities pursue the money trail.
Alongside the high-profile case of former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who is currently in prison on multiple charges, the Antalya probe has also shaken the party, as the city of more than 2.7 million people is one of the country’s largest urban centers.
The arrests and ongoing probe highlight growing scrutiny of municipal corruption cases in opposition-led administrations across Türkiye.
