03.05.2026 21:18
Murat Altınkaya, the driver of CHP-affiliated Mayor Özkan Yalım, who was arrested and suspended from duty in a corruption investigation targeting the Uşak Municipality, became an informant by benefiting from effective remorse. Altınkaya claimed that the VIP conversion cost of 170,000 Euros + VAT for the official vehicle provided for the use of CHP leader Özgür Özel was covered by the municipality's social facilities company.
Murat Altınkaya, the driver of CHP's suspended Mayor Özkan Yalım who was arrested in the corruption investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against the Uşak Municipality, became an informant.
VIP CONVERSION OF ÖZEL'S VEHICLE FROM MUNICIPAL FUNDS
According to journalist Burak Doğan, in his statement seeking to benefit from the effective remorse provisions, Altınkaya claimed that the cost of the VIP conversion for CHP Chairman Özgür Özel's vehicle was paid from the municipal coffers.
THE COST WAS 170 THOUSAND EUROS
Altınkaya, who alleged that two Mercedes Benz V300 model vehicles assigned for the use of Yalım and Özel were converted to VIP design at a company in Istanbul, stated, “The conversion cost of the vehicle used by Özgür Özel, amounting to 170,000 Euros + VAT, was paid by the municipality's Uşak Social Facilities Limited Company, and he also said that this vehicle had two different license plates: '06 TR 0909' and '06 ATA 045'.”
INVESTIGATION
An investigation was launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office through the Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau into allegations regarding the rigging of tenders organized by the Uşak Municipality, demands for bribes from traders for certain irregular transactions and dealings, and the collection of large amounts of money under the guise of aid/donations to Uşakspor, on charges of "bribery", "graft" and "tender rigging".
Within the scope of the investigation, simultaneous operations were carried out in Uşak, Izmir and Istanbul on April 20 by teams from the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Branch to apprehend suspects for whom detention orders had been issued.
As part of the investigation, Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım, Deputy Mayor Halil Arslan, the municipality's Accounting and Finance Manager Hüseyin Yaman, Private Secretary Manager Hasan Doğukan Kurnaz, official driver Murat Altınkaya, municipal personnel Cihan Aras and İsmail Özçelik, Uşak Haber Media Company Owner Murat Baş and Mustafa Yalım, CHP Uşak Provincial Chairman Celalettin Çoban, and Uşakspor Chairman Özhan Özgöbek, Ahmet Arslan, Ahmet Yıldız, Ali Arı, Fahreddin Altundal, Ferhat Cucu, Mehmet Arslan, Mustafa Arslan, Rahmi Altundal, Sefa Taşcı, Akın Cantürk, Cemal Ak, Ceren Yeşildağ, Ulaş Küçükakın and Ümut Demi were arrested.
Judicial control measures were decided for 17 suspects.