10.06.2026 16:51
In the Tarsus district of Mersin, former Mayor Haluk Bozdoğan and two suspects were sentenced to 60 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison each for 'qualified fraud' for allegedly defrauding 22 people through an irregular contract in an urban transformation project.
A verdict was reached in the case filed on allegations that 22 people were defrauded through irregular contracts for land sales within the scope of an urban transformation project carried out in the Tarsus district of Mersin. Among them, three defendants, including former Tarsus Mayor Haluk Bozdoğan, were sentenced to 60 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison for the crime of "qualified fraud."
An investigation was launched in 2021 into former Tarsus Mayor and company board chairman Haluk Bozdoğan, along with board members Ziya Kenğer and İbrahim Taş, on allegations of fraud carried out through Tarsus Turizm, Eğitim, Sağlık, Kültür, İnşaat, Sanayi A.Ş. (TESKİ A.Ş.), a municipal subsidiary.
The verdict hearing for the case, filed on allegations that 22 people were victimized through pre-sale contracts made via TESKİ A.Ş. in an urban transformation project covering a 64,000 square-meter area in İsmetpaşa Neighborhood, where some plots were acquired from citizens through contracts, was held at the Tarsus 3rd Heavy Penal Court.
While defendant İbrahim Taş, a former TESKİ A.Ş. board member who was not under arrest, attended the hearing, Haluk Bozdoğan and Ziya Kenğer were not present. Some victims in the case were also in the courtroom.
PROSECUTOR REITERATED SENTENCE DEMAND
Presenting his final opinion, the public prosecutor alleged that the defendants acted together and transferred funds collected from citizens through pre-sale protocols arranged within the scope of the urban transformation project to different accounts.
The prosecutor stated that despite payments, some victims' properties were demolished, while the promised acquisitions were not fulfilled, and demanded the defendants be punished for the crime of "qualified fraud."
COURT ISSUED PRISON AND ARREST WARRANT
After evaluating victim statements and evidence in the file, the court panel decided to sentence Haluk Bozdoğan, Ziya Kenğer, and İbrahim Taş, who were being tried without arrest, to 60 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison for the crime of "qualified fraud" committed within the scope of commercial activity.
The court also ruled that the defendants, who had previously been acquitted regarding some complainants, be arrested due to the conviction verdict in the case.
With the decision, the first-instance court trial in the long-standing case has been completed.