02.03.2026 23:33
As part of the corruption investigation conducted against the Bolu Municipality, Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan and 13 others were referred to the court. Özcan and Bolu Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can were arrested by the court they were brought before.
The Mayor of Bolu, Tanju Özcan, who was detained in the corruption investigation, has been arrested.
OPERATION AGAINST BOLU MUNICIPALITY An operation was launched under the investigation conducted by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, defined as the crime of corruption, which involves a public official abusing the influence provided by their position to force themselves or others to gain unjust benefits. The Bolu Provincial Gendarmerie Command teams carried out simultaneous operations at 13 addresses on the morning of February 28. In the operation carried out under the instruction of the prosecutor's office, 13 people, including Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, were detained.
Among those detained were Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can, Financial Affairs Director Naim Ayhan, Chairman of the Bolsev Foundation Ali Sarıyıldız, Municipal Council Member Hüseyin Ekrem Serin, Municipal Council Member Buse Özkan, Municipal Council Member Cahit Görüş, Zoning Director Sinan Pekcan, Zoning employee Yasin Bargaç, Fire Department Director (former Human Resources Director) Mehmet Ağan, former Zoning Director Hakan Yılmaz, former Writing Affairs Director Tahsin Arslan, former Municipal Council Member and former Chairman of Bolu Bel A.Ş. Ergün Temel. The statement procedures, coordinated by the Bolu Provincial Gendarmerie Command, were completed in 2 days. The 13 individuals were transferred to the Bolu Courthouse after health checks conducted in the early hours of the morning.
TANJU ÖZCAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED After the completion of the statement procedures at the prosecutor's office in Bolu Courthouse, Tanju Özcan, Ali Sarıyıldız, and Süleyman Can were referred to the court with a request for arrest, while 10 individuals from the Bolu Municipality management and affiliated institution representatives were referred to the court with a request for judicial control. Tanju Özcan and Bolu Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can were arrested by the court they were brought before.