06.06.2026 00:30
In the corruption investigation conducted by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Buca Municipality, 42 of the 54 suspects detained and referred to the courthouse, including Mayor Görkem Duman, former Mayor Erhan Kılıç, and former CHP Buca District Chair Çağdaş Kaya, were arrested. Judicial control measures were imposed on 12 suspects.
Within the scope of the corruption investigation conducted by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Buca Municipality, the procedures of 54 suspects, including Buca Mayor Görkem Duman, who were detained by the Provincial Police Department's Financial Crimes Branch teams, have been completed.
AREST REQUEST FOR 51 SUSPECTS
The suspects were transferred from the Provincial Police Department Yeşilyurt Service Building to the İzmir Courthouse under extensive security measures. Among the suspects whose statements were taken at the prosecutor's office, 51 suspects, including Buca Mayor Görkem Duman and former Mayor Erhan Kılıç, were referred to the duty magistrate with a request for arrest, while 3 were referred with a request for judicial control conditions.
DUMAN AND KILIÇ ARRESTED
Among the suspects, Duman and Kılıç, along with former CHP Buca District Chairman Çağdaş Kaya, were arrested by the duty magistrate. The court proceedings for the other suspects are ongoing.
INVESTIGATION
Within the scope of the corruption investigation conducted by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Buca Municipality and its affiliated subsidiaries, detention orders were issued for 62 suspects.
Buca Mayor Görkem Duman, former Buca Mayor Erhan Kılıç, deputy mayors, former CHP District Chairman Ç.K., managers and employees of municipal subsidiaries, as well as some company owners and contractors, totaling 53 suspects, were detained on June 1 at specified addresses in İzmir, Ankara, Erzincan, and Çanakkale by the Provincial Police Department's Financial Crimes Branch teams.
It was stated that 3 of the suspects are in prison, arrest warrants have been issued for 4 individuals abroad, and efforts continue to capture 2 more suspects.
On June 2, with the capture of municipal subsidiary manager K.B., the number of detained suspects rose to 54.
In the investigation file covering the municipal administration, zoning units, subsidiaries, and contractor circles, it was stated that there were irregular zoning procedures, floor and apartment increases in exchange for bribes, bribes in the processes of permits and occupancy certificates, use of municipal subsidiary credit cards for personal expenses, the "ATM officer" system, and direct procurement and tender irregularities.
It was alleged that some contractors used special methods among themselves to make payments to municipal officials, that construction companies bribed municipal personnel to overlook irregularities in their projects, and that this payment traffic was referred to as "soap" in some circles, meaning "problem-solving/postponement."