19.10.2026 13:13
In the corruption investigation into Çukurova Municipality in Adana, it was alleged that E.A., the daughter of CHP’s Tufanbeyli Mayor Ahmet Aktürk, was among the personnel claimed to have received salaries without actually working at the municipality. A search and detention order was issued for suspect E.A. Forty-four of 51 suspects, including Mayor Emrah Kozay and former mayor Soner Çetin, had been taken into custody.
A new detail has emerged in the Çukurova Municipality investigation conducted by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. It has been determined that the daughter of a municipal mayor is among the personnel known publicly as “phantom employees” and alleged to have received salaries without going to work.
“PHANTOM EMPLOYEE” CLAIM
According to the information obtained, E.A., the daughter of CHP’s Tufanbeyli Mayor Ahmet Aktürk, was among the personnel alleged to have received a salary despite not actually working at Çukurova Municipality. It was learned that a search and detention order was issued for suspect E.A.
In the statement by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was also stated that some personnel allegedly received salaries despite not actually working. The Prosecutor’s Office reported that personnel within this scope were also among those detained.
MAYOR AND FORMER MAYOR DETAINED
Within the scope of the investigation, teams from the Adana Provincial Gendarmerie Command carried out simultaneous operations in the morning at the municipal building and numerous addresses. Of the 51 people for whom detention orders were issued, 44 suspects were detained, including YENİ Party Mayor Emrah Kozay and former mayor and CHP Deputy Secretary General Soner Çetin. Efforts continue to capture the other 7 suspects.
Among those detained are 4 deputy mayors, a manager of the municipal company, 4 local contractors and a relative of Kozay. After medical examinations, the suspects were taken to the gendarmerie command for questioning.
TENDER AND BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS
According to the Prosecutor’s Office statement, the municipality’s tender and direct procurement documents for 2024, 2025 and 2026 were examined by a three-person expert panel. The Prosecutor’s Office claimed that in some purchases made through a company affiliated with the municipality, the exemption provision in the Public Procurement Law was used in a manner contrary to the legislation. The statement also alleged that some contractors gave bribes in order to receive progress payments.
The suspects were charged with “forming, managing and being a member of an organization to commit crime,” “bribery,” “aggravated fraud” and “rigging a tender.”
KOZAY RESIGNED FROM CHP IN AUGUST
Çukurova Mayor Emrah Kozay resigned from CHP on August 7 and joined the YENİ Party. Soner Çetin, who served as mayor before Kozay, still serves as CHP Deputy Secretary General.