03.08.2026 10:29
An operation was conducted against the Etimesgut Municipality, affiliated with the CHP, on charges of "bid rigging", "bribery", and "forming an organization for the purpose of committing crimes". The Mayor, Erdal Beşikcioğlu, along with 40 suspects, were detained in the early morning hours. Meanwhile, Beşikcioğlu also responded to questions in his statement regarding allegations that "municipal resources were used during the filming of the series Behzat Ç.".
Etimesgut Municipality has come under scrutiny as part of corruption investigations targeting municipalities affiliated with the CHP. On Thursday morning, July 30, simultaneous operations were launched in 9 provinces. Within the scope of the operation, a total of 55 suspects were detained, including 42 municipal officials and 13 company executives.
In addition to the municipal building, searches were conducted at 56 residences, 15 workplaces, and 41 vehicles belonging to the suspects, and documents that could constitute evidence of a crime were seized.
WHO WAS DETAINED?
Within the scope of the operation, Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Beşikcioğlu, along with Deputy Mayors M. K., T. Ö., İ. B. B., and A. A., were among the many senior figures detained. The detention list also included the Directors of Social Assistance Affairs, Financial Services, Urbanization and Planning, Support Services, Municipal Police (Zabıta), and Real Estate and Expropriation.
In addition, the Tender Chief of the Public Works Directorate, the Mayor's advisor and bodyguard, personnel and engineers serving on tender and inspection/acceptance committees, the general manager and board members of the municipal subsidiary Etimkent Inc., some political party officials, municipal council members, and company executives were among those apprehended.
40 PEOPLE INCLUDING THE MAYOR WERE ARRESTED
Of the suspects whose police procedures were completed, 44 people, including Mayor Erdal Beşikcioğlu, were referred to the duty magistrate's court with a request for arrest, and 10 people with a request for judicial control. One suspect was reported to be under medical treatment in the hospital.
In its decision handed down before dawn, the duty magistrate ordered the arrest of 40 suspects, including Erdal Beşikcioğlu.
HERE ARE THE NAMES OF THOSE ARRESTED
- Erdal Beşikçioğlu, Mayor of Etimesgut
- Mutlu Kerimoğlu, Deputy Mayor of Etimesgut
- Taylan Özgüven, Deputy Mayor of Etimesgut
- İhsan Bahri Bellek, Deputy Mayor of Etimesgut
- Ali Coşar, Director of Cleaning Affairs, Etimesgut Municipality
- Tarhan Özkaya, Director of Financial Affairs, Etimesgut Municipality
- Serpil Zengin, Director of Urbanization Affairs, Etimesgut Municipality
- Koray Yıldız, Etimesgut Municipality Employee
- Rıza Emrah Altınok, Etimesgut Municipality Employee
- Cem Berk Erdinç, Director of Private Secretariat to the Mayor, Etimesgut Municipality
- Muzaffer Çakır, General Manager of Etimkent Inc.
- Adem Daşçı, Public Works Department Staff, Etimesgut Municipality
- Ozan Yiğit, CHP Etimesgut Municipal Council Member
- Zülküf Sancar, Director of Municipal Police (Zabıta), Etimesgut Municipality
- Levent Bozkurt, Director of Support Services, Etimesgut Municipality
- Atilla Akyürek, Director of Press, Publication, and Public Relations, Etimesgut Municipality
- Özkan Tosun, Director of Real Estate and Expropriation, Etimesgut Municipality
- Hüseyin Ünlü, Municipal Official / Tender Committee Member
- Baki Gökdemir, Municipal Official / Tender Committee Member
- Hasan Büyüklü, Cash Supervisor, Etimkent Inc.
- Fethi Kaan Algan, Board Member, Etimkent Inc.
- Burak Berat Polat, Architect, Etimesgut Municipality
- Tahsin Çelik, Board Member, Etimkent Inc.
- Hüseyin Yılmaz, Close Protection Officer (Private Security) for Erdal Beşikçioğlu
- Yusuf Akbulut, Acting Director of Social Assistance Affairs, Etimesgut Municipality
- Şakir Yıldız, Architect, Etimesgut Municipality
- Onur Tolunay, Municipal Official / Tender Committee Member
- Seyfi Geyik, Board Member, Etimkent Inc.
- Fatih İbrahim Sönmez, Board Member, Etimkent Inc.
- Songül Bal, Board Member, Etimkent Inc.
- Bahadır Çağrı Kekevi, Board Member, Etimkent Inc.
- Ayten Akpınar, Board Member, Etimkent Inc.
- Seyid Hamid Haşimi, Official of Standart Katı Atık Firması
- Engin Pirinçci, Employee of Standart Katı Atık Firması
- Mustafa Yücel, Sole Proprietor
- Seyit Karlı, Owner of Seka Tıp Sağlık Sanayi Ticaret AŞ
- Zahide Türkmen (Sesliokuyucu), Official of Yosun Ambalaj
- Koray Perktaş, Sole Proprietor
- Atilla Eryiğit, Official of FMT Global
- Hasan Ceyhan, Business Follower
- Aykut Canikli, Owner of Çıkıpıs Büfe / Çankaya Municipal Council Member
- Seçil Düşer, Municipal Official / Tender Committee Member
- Perrin Özge Karabaş, Municipal Official / Tender Committee Member
- İlay Alkan, Municipal Official / Tender Committee Member
WHAT ARE THE CHARGES?
In the investigation file, the main charges against Etimesgut Municipality officials included irregularities in certain tenders and the preparation of forged documents. Additionally, allegations included obtaining undue benefits in parking lot rental processes and in zoning and permit procedures related to construction projects.
BEŞİKCİOĞLU'S STATEMENT EMERGES
Within the scope of the investigation conducted by the Ankara Western Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime Investigation Bureau, Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu, who was detained and subsequently arrested, was charged with "bribery," "tender fraud," "extortion," and "fraud in the performance of an obligation" during his statement at the Ankara Financial Crimes Branch Directorate.
Beşikçioğlu stated that he did not wish to benefit from the provisions of effective remorse, saying his sources of income were his mayoral salary, ticket revenues from Tatbikat Sahnesi, his acting activities, and royalty payments.
When asked about his duties and authority regarding tenders conducted by Etimesgut Municipality, Beşikçioğlu spoke as follows:
"As the Mayor, the units under my direct responsibility are the Private Secretariat, Internal Audit, and Inspection units. If there is any suspicious situation in the functioning of these units, Internal Audit conducts the necessary investigation, and if required, based on the report, the Inspection Directorate gets involved. Generally, the Mayor has a supervisory and oversight duty, and I have a representation duty. I try to go to the municipality every weekday. When I am not at the municipality, deputy mayors represent me in accordance with the law and regulations. İhsan Bahri Bellek and Mutlu Kerimoğlu represent me. I have no duty or authority regarding the tenders conducted by Etimesgut Municipality. I have not conducted any market price research."
THE BEHZAT Ç. QUESTION
Beşikçioğlu stated that some irregularities, which were subject to Court of Accounts reports, were uncovered as a result of an internal audit initiated on his own orders.
Regarding the allegations that "municipal resources were used during the filming of the Behzat Ç. series," Beşikçioğlu argued that the production company made payments to the municipality, the filming contributed to the promotion of Etimesgut, and the municipality was not harmed.
Regarding the findings on tenders and procurements in the digital materials seized within the scope of the investigation, Beşikçioğlu was asked and he claimed that he had no connection with the companies that participated in the municipality's tenders.
In his statement, Beşikçioğlu said the following:
"There is no document about me or bearing my name in the aforementioned materials. I do not know the companies that entered the tender, nor do I have any connection with them. My duties and authority do not include tenders or preparing technical specifications. As will be understood from the Court of Accounts reports on this matter, no accusation has been made against me. Furthermore, in the images found on the digital devices of a person named Serkan Kozan, it is seen that he carried out disbursement officer duties and market research procedures even before I became the mayor."
Erdal Beşikçioğlu alleged that Serkan Kozan, a municipal employee who benefited from the provisions of effective remorse within the scope of the investigation, had previously been found to have embezzled cafeteria fees.
Regarding the question about the 225 thousand liras sent to his account by the Deputy Mayor Mutlu Kerimoğlu, Beşikçioğlu replied, "On the date of the said money transfer, I was abroad. When I presented my credit card to check into the hotel, there was a limit issue, and since they did not accept cash payment, I asked Mutlu Kerimoğlu for a loan. I deposited the amount he sent into my card and had the limit increased. Upon my return to Turkey, I repaid the money."
When asked about the audio recordings included in the file within the scope of bribery and extortion allegations linked to a concert organization, Beşikçioğlu stated that these works and transactions were not carried out by a unit under his authority and made the following statement:
"I became aware of the events mentioned in the person's statements later. The account numbers you asked about are accounts belonging to the municipality. It is natural for an occupation fee to be paid because a concert was held. However, these works and transactions were not carried out by a unit under my authority. I gave no instruction or direction to give work to the company or its acquaintances to cover the company's alleged losses. After this incident, in my research, I found that the company could not sell concert tickets. I believe these statements were made to collect the loss arising from the organization from the municipality. The exact number of ticket sales can be learned after correspondence with the companies that sold the tickets. The person referred to as the president in the audio recordings is not me. As is clear from my statement and the content of the conversation, it is evident that it was Deputy Mayor Mutlu Kerimoğlu. "
When asked about the correspondence detected on his mobile phone with Deputy Mayor Kerimoğlu, Beşikçioğlu replied, "My reason for sending the matter of complaint, whose image was shown to me, to the person named Mutlu Kerimoğlu is that his authority and duty area includes zoning. I sent it to Mutlu Kerimoğlu to have this matter investigated and necessary action taken. Likewise, I forward complaints and issues brought to me to the relevant deputy mayors according to their areas of responsibility and request that necessary action be taken."
Beşikçioğlu, denying the accusations, said the following:
"I have made statements sincerely. In the Court of Accounts reports read to me, in the criminal complaint section, and in the expert reports, no accusation or crime has been attributed to me. Especially regarding the events mentioned by Serkan Kozan, Court of Accounts officials and the Prosecution Office have conducted examinations and have neither made any determination that would lead to my criminal or legal liability nor directed any accusation against me. Furthermore, when the audio recordings you read to me are examined in terms of their content, there is no speech belonging to me, nor is there any element of crime in the conversation contents as alleged. By activating the municipality's Internal Audit and Inspection Directorates to conduct the necessary research and examinations on matters outside my education and expertise, I audited whether the works were carried out in accordance with procedures. In case of detecting any irregularity, I applied to the prosecutor's offices to take necessary action. "
Beşikçioğlu stated that among the suspects, he only had a past acquaintance and friendship with Mutlu Kerimoğlu outside his municipal duties, saying, "I met the other municipality official suspects after I became the Mayor. Apart from the hierarchy within the scope of municipal duties, I have no other relationship with them. I have no HTS communication or money transfers with the company owners and officials who appear as suspects. The assets registered in my name were acquired through my commercial activities in the periods before I became the Mayor and through inheritance. The accusations are in the nature of abstract attributions of crime and are not supported by material evidence." He made this defense.
AN OPERATION WAS ALSO CONDUCTED IN MARCH
In the past March, the Etimesgut Municipality had also come to the agenda with an "embezzlement" investigation regarding irregularities detected in Court of Accounts audits. After that operation, carried out by the Ankara Batı Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, in which 4 people were detained, Mayor Beşikçioğlu stated that the complaint was made by the municipality itself and made the following statement:
"It has been announced to the public that, within the scope of the investigation initiated upon the complaint previously made by our municipality to the Ankara Batı Cumhuriyet Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, detention and search warrants were issued regarding some of our employees working in our municipality's Social Assistance Affairs Directorate and at Etimkent Inc., whose capital is wholly owned by our municipality."
WHO IS ERDAL BEŞİKCİOĞLU?
Born on January 5, 1970, Erdal Beşikcioğlu is a graduate of Hacettepe University State Conservatory. Beşikçioğlu, who worked for many years at State Theaters and became widely known for his leading role in the TV series "Behzat Ç.", stepped into politics in the March 31 Local Administrations General Elections.
Beşikçioğlu, who entered the elections as the CHP candidate, competed against Enver Demirel from the MHP, who had served as mayor of Etimesgut for 20 years; he completed the election in first place with 202,853 votes and a vote share of 56.58%, becoming the Mayor of Etimesgut.