24.07.2026 11:50
In the statements taken during the corruption and bribery investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Izmit Municipality, striking allegations emerged. Turgut Koç claimed to have given 3 kilograms of gold to Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet, while a secret witness alleged that 7-10 percent commission was taken from certain tenders. The file also included statements regarding bags full of money, hand-to-hand payments, and money transfers made from personal accounts.
In the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau targeting Izmit Municipality, statements from secret witnesses, municipal personnel, the former head of the private office, the former official driver, and businesspeople were added to the file. The testimony records included numerous allegations covering tender processes, money flows, gold deliveries, and appointments within the municipality.
ALLEGATION: "THE MAYOR ASKED ME FOR MONEY, I GAVE 3 KILOS OF GOLD"
Businessperson Turgut Koç claimed in his statement that Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet asked him for money due to a vehicle rental tender. Koç alleged that he delivered approximately 3 kilograms of gold in a bag to Hürriyet on the Northern Marmara Highway at night.
Koç further stated that an agreement based on a "percentage" was made during the tender process, and that money was requested about a month after winning the tender.
SECRET WITNESS: 7-10% COMMISSION WAS TAKEN FROM TENDERS
In the secret witness statements within the file, it was alleged that cash payments ranging from 7 to 10 percent were collected from asphalt and procurement tenders, and that this money was converted into gold and delivered to the Mayor.
The secret witness claimed that the gold was sometimes delivered directly in the office, and sometimes through the head of the private office.
ALLEGATION OF A MONEY-FILLED BAG AND PACKAGE
Former Head of Private Office Ümit Duygu Çetiner and former official driver Hüseyin Ergül also made allegations regarding the money flow in the municipality in their statements.
Çetiner stated that the Mayor always carried a black bag that no one could open, while Ergül claimed that when he touched the package inside a bag he picked up from the office, he sensed it contained money.
Ergül further alleged that the Head of Private Office told him, "Bro, the money counting isn't finished yet."
ALLEGATION OF PAYMENT BY HAND AND FROM PERSONAL ACCOUNT
Koral Altın, producer of the documentary "Leyla Hanım," stated in his testimony that 500,000 lira of the 800,000 lira owed to him by the municipality was brought to his home by hand by the Director of Technical Affairs, and the remaining 300,000 lira was sent from the personal bank account of Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet.
Altın also explained that during a period when he could not collect his dues from the municipality, approximately 1 million lira was sent to him through a company named YK Otomotiv, and he later transferred most of this money to that company, with the remainder going to Turgut Koç's account.
"SHADOW MAYOR" ALLEGATION AND APPOINTMENTS
The testimony records also included striking allegations regarding the Mayor's spouse, Murat Hürriyet. Some witnesses claimed that critical appointments in the municipality were made by Murat Hürriyet and that the municipality was effectively run by him.
The file also contained allegations that certain relatives and close associates were appointed to critical positions in the municipality, and that advertising and promotion work was directed to specific individuals and companies.
DIGITAL EVIDENCE ALSO ENTERED THE FILE
It was learned that within the scope of the investigation, deleted messages, photos, bank transactions, tender documents, and money transfers on the suspects' phones were examined. It was stated that correspondence related to the vehicle rental tender and various bank transfers were also evaluated as evidence in the file.
20 SUSPECTS ARRESTED
Within the scope of the investigation, 20 suspects were arrested, including Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet, her spouse Murat Hürriyet, Deputy Mayor Seyhan Özcan, Head of Private Office Nusret Ömürhan Yılmaz, Director of Technical Affairs Burak Güreşen, and İzmit CHP District Chair Gökhan Ercan. The arrest request for tender officer Leyla Kıran was denied. Judicial control measures, including a travel ban and an order not to leave the residence, were imposed on Kıran.