19.10.2026 10:14
In an operation carried out as part of the investigation conducted by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into Çukurova Municipality, 44 suspects were detained, including Mayor Emrah Kozay and former mayor and CHP Deputy Secretary-General Soner Çetin. Efforts are continuing to apprehend 7 of the 51 people for whom detention orders have been issued. The suspects are accused of offenses such as "bribery," "aggravated fraud," and "tender rigging."
A large-scale operation was launched in Adana on allegations of irregularities in the tender and direct procurement processes at Çukurova Municipality. Those detained include the municipality’s current and former mayors, as well as 4 deputy mayors.
SIMULTANEOUS OPERATION IN THE MORNING HOURS
Teams from the Adana Provincial Gendarmerie Command carried out a simultaneous operation in the morning hours at the municipal building and numerous addresses. Teams that took security measures at the municipal building conducted a search. The detained suspects were taken to the gendarmerie command for questioning after a medical examination.
STATEMENT FROM THE PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE
According to a statement by the Adana Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, in the investigation, the municipality’s tender and direct procurement documents for 2024, 2025, and 2026 were examined by a three-person expert panel. In line with the expert report and other evidence, a detention order was issued for the suspects.
The Prosecutor’s Office claimed that in some purchases made through a municipality-affiliated company, the exemption provision in the Public Procurement Law was used in a manner contrary to the legislation. The statement also included the allegation that some contractors gave bribes to receive progress payments, while some personnel received salaries despite not actually working.
THE MAYOR’S RELATIVE IS ALSO AMONG THOSE DETAINED
Among the suspects are Kozay and Çetin, as well as 4 incumbent deputy mayors and a manager of the municipal company. Those detained also include 4 local contractors and a relative of Mayor Kozay. Some personnel alleged to have received salaries without actually working were also detained. The suspects are accused of “establishing, managing, and being a member of an organization for the purpose of committing crimes,” “bribery,” “qualified fraud,” and “rigging a tender.”
KOZAY HAD RESIGNED FROM THE CHP IN AUGUST
Emrah Kozay, who was elected Çukurova Mayor from the CHP in the 2024 local elections, resigned from the CHP on August 7 and joined the YENİ Party. Soner Çetin, who served as mayor before Kozay, still serves as Deputy Secretary General of the CHP.
ALLEGATIONS OF IRREGULARITIES IN TENDERS
It was alleged that irregularities occurred in the tender and direct procurement procedures carried out at Çukurova Municipality, that the exemption provision in Article 3/g of Public Procurement Law No. 4734 was improperly used in purchases made through the municipality-affiliated joint-stock company, that bribes were taken in exchange for progress payments to contractors who received work from the municipality, and that some municipal personnel received salaries despite not actually going to work.
The procedures at the gendarmerie command are continuing for the suspects, who include 4 contractors who received work from the municipality, a relative of the current mayor, and municipal personnel alleged to have received salaries from the municipality despite not actually working.