24.04.2026 00:50
In the Manavgat district of Antalya, security camera footage has emerged showing detained businessman Erdem Buzkan bringing money of unknown origin to his workplace in a compartment under a motorcycle seat, and former mayor Şükrü Sözen, arrested for bribery, embezzlement, and bid rigging, receiving it, as part of an investigation into Sözen's tenure.
Former Manavgat Mayor Şükrü Sözen, his brother Fatih Sözen, and 14 others were arrested in September last year on charges of 'bribery', 'embezzlement', and 'tender fraud'. The investigation by the Manavgat Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into Şükrü Sözen on charges of 'establishing an organization for criminal purposes', 'extortion', 'bribery', and 'laundering of assets derived from crime' has been deepened and continued.
MONEY BROUGHT BY MOTORCYCLE
As part of the investigation, the source of the unspecified monetary exchange between Şükrü Sözen and detained businessman Erdem Buzkan was recorded by security cameras at Buzkan's workplace, 'Erdem Motors'. In the footage, Erdem Buzkan is seen filling bags brought by employees with money found in the compartment under the seat of the motorcycle he arrived on, and taking it inside. The footage continues with Şükrü Sözen putting the money from the cash register into a black bag and leaving the workplace.
"HE WOULD COLLECT THE MONEY AND GIVE IT TO ŞÜKRÜ SÖZEN"
In his statement, Mustafa Yavuz, former Director of Building Control for Manavgat Municipality, who was arrested last Tuesday and detained yesterday, said, "Şükrü Sözen has a gun factory named E. in the Beyşehir district of Konya. Şükrü Sözen is the informal owner of this place. However, on paper, the owner of this factory appears as Erdem Buzkan. Erdem Buzkan and Şükrü Sözen had a very good relationship. He used Erdem as his cash register. I saw Erdem give money to Şükrü Sözen many times. Erdem Buzkan would take the lead in tenders held by the municipality. He would take money from the tender winners and give it to Şükrü Sözen. Erdem Buzkan played an active role, especially in tenders for festivals. He would collect money from the stallholders at festivals and give it to Şükrü Sözen," he said.
"THE BAG WAS USUALLY FULL OF MONEY"
S.B., the accountant of 'Erdem Motors' company, who was detained by gendarmerie teams as part of the investigation, said in his statement, "Şükrü Sözen came and went to Erdem Buzkan's shop regularly. When he came, at least once a month, he would come with a brown briefcase. The bag was usually full of money, and generally, the money was in foreign currency. I don't know exactly where this money came from and what they did with it, but after this money arrived, they would exchange it at a currency exchange office named G. Once, when I was bringing tea to Erdem and Şükrü in the office, I witnessed him bargaining the exchange rate with that currency exchange office over the phone. As far as I know, Erdem Buzkan would use part of this money brought by Şükrü Sözen to make payments belonging to Şükrü Sözen. After the local elections in 2019, Erdem Buzkan came to the workplace with a sack full of money and told us, 'Count this money.' We, as employees, counted the money by hand and delivered it back to him. Since we did not have a money counting machine at the workplace at that time, me, Ü.A., Y.Ü., and another employee I can't recall now counted the money one by one. However, since a long time has passed, I don't remember how much money there was in total. I don't know where this money came from or for what purpose," he said. It was learned that S.B. was released after his statement.