12.06.2026 11:21
In the corruption investigation targeting Silivri Municipality, 17 people including Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu have been detained. The investigation file revealed that a municipal property was sold at a low price, causing a public loss of 21.5 million lira, and a large amount of foreign currency and gold was seized during the operations. Efforts to apprehend one suspect with a detention warrant are ongoing.
Details of the corruption investigation into Silivri Municipality have emerged. As part of the investigation, 17 people, including Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu, were detained, and one suspect is reported to be at large. The file includes a determination of 21.5 million lira in public damage, and a large amount of foreign currency and gold were seized.
SIMULTANEOUS OPERATION IN 3 PROVINCES
Under the investigation coordinated by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a simultaneous operation was carried out in Istanbul, Edirne, and Balıkesir by teams from the Istanbul Provincial Police Department's Financial Crimes Branch.
As part of the operation, arrest, detention, search, and seizure orders were executed for 18 suspects, including Silivri Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu. Seventeen of the suspects were detained, while one person was reported to be at large.
CASH AND GOLD SEIZED
Searches conducted at the suspects' addresses led to the seizure of 39,500 dollars, 12,280 euros, 182,400 lira in cash, 115 grams of gold, 36 ata lira, 25 quarter gold coins, 5 half gold coins, and 5 full gold coins, all believed to be proceeds of crime.
ALLEGATION OF 21.5 MILLION LIRA PUBLIC DAMAGE
As part of the investigation, allegations that certain works and transactions at Silivri Municipality were used for personal gain are being examined.
According to findings in the file, an expert report was prepared indicating that the sale of a municipal property, which was unregistered and designated as a park area, at a low price caused 21,522,717 lira and 40 kuruş in public damage.
The investigation also scrutinized municipal personnel recruitment, business transfers and leases, zoning, permits, occupancy, sealing procedures, illegal structures, asset acquisition, and municipal property sales.
Numerous charges are included in the file.
The prosecutor's investigation is being conducted on charges of establishing and managing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes, being a member of an organization, accepting and giving bribes, extortion, influence peddling, abuse of office, bid rigging, contract performance fraud, causing zoning pollution, and laundering assets derived from crime.
The investigation file states that the alleged acts were carried out within an organized structure and that Mayor Bora Balcıoğlu is considered the founder and leader of the organization.
DETAINED INDIVIDUALS
The names detained in the operation are as follows:
Bora Balcıoğlu – Silivri Mayor
Fatih Yavuz – Deputy Mayor
Aykut Batur – CHP Silivri Municipal Council Member
Aşkın Kaynar – Private Secretary
İbrahim Kömür – former CHP Silivri District Chairman
Mustafa Demirayak – Silivri Municipality Police Officer
Serdar Tuna – Driver of Private Secretary Aşkın Kaynar
Yalçın Tuna – Employee of Özbingöl Plastic and Aluminum Joinery Industry and Trade Ltd. Co.
Pınar Kalaba – Sales staff/retiree of Erstream Publishing Inc.
Adem Kalaba – Martı Maritime and Ship Management Inc.
Ayla Can – Secretary/retiree of Spot Maritime Inc.
Yavuz Dirik – Chairman of the Board of Bektaşoğlu Foreign Exchange Trading Limited Authority Institution Inc.
Nihat Nahit Sarayönü – Partner of Saray Marine Supplies and Yachting Industry and Trade Ltd. Co.
Murat Tuna – Fireplace craftsman at Kale Fireplace Construction Contracting Industry and Trade Ltd. Co.
Gökhan Tuna – Company partner at Şah Automotive Construction Industry Trade Ltd. Co.
Naci Aydın – Partner of Aym Consulting Construction Contracting Trade Limited Company
Adem Tuna – Suspect with no current Social Security registration
1 SUSPECT AT LARGE
Gökhan Bıçak, a Silivri Municipality Parks and Gardens Department engineer who has a detention warrant as part of the investigation, is reported to be at large, and efforts to capture him are ongoing.