Mayor Convicted Of Cigarette Smuggling Remains In Office

A man who was found guilty in two in separate cases of smuggling cigarettes has remained in his post as mayor of the Municipality of Yazıkonak in southeastern Elazığ province, according to the Taraf daily.

Nurettin Aydın of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has not stepped down from his post despite having being found guilty in both cases, the first of which led to a ruling from the Supreme Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court's decision.

Aydın was caught by the Elazığ Police Department on June 19, 2011 carrying 17,200 packets of cigarettes in his vehicle. A case was brought against Aydın for “smuggling goods with the intent of commercial distribution” by the Elazığ Criminal Court of First Instance.

When Aydın's case reached the high court on appeal, the mayor was hit with a separate smuggling charge. Aydın was charged again by the Elazığ Criminal Court of First Instance with smuggling 5,000 packets of cigarettes on Sept. 11, 2011. Aydın was found guilty in January 2015 in the first case and received a sentenced of 25 months in prison and a TL 15,000 fine. In the second case, the mayor was also found guilty and released on probation.

Aydın was elected mayor of Yazıkonak on the AK Party ticket in the local elections of March 2014. News reports have claimed that he was discharged from the party after he was convicted in January. The Taraf daily spoke with the mayor's secretary, who said: “Our dear mayor continues to serve as an AK Party mayor. There is no problem, he is continuing at his post.” (Cihan/Today's Zaman)