03.03.2026 08:52
The Ministry of Interior has suspended Tanju Özcan from his position as the Mayor of Bolu, who was arrested for the crime of bribery.
An operation was launched under the investigation conducted by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, defined as the crime of extortion, where a public official is forced to misuse the influence provided by their position to gain unfair benefits for themselves or others.
13 PEOPLE, INCLUDING TANJU ÖZCAN, WERE DETAINED
Teams from the Bolu Provincial Gendarmerie Command carried out simultaneous operations at 13 addresses on the morning of February 28. In the operation carried out upon the instruction of the prosecutor's office, 13 people, including Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, were detained. Among those detained were Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can, Financial Affairs Director Naim Ayhan, Chairman of the Bolsev Foundation Ali Sarıyıldız, Municipal Council Member Hüseyin Ekrem Serin, Municipal Council Member Buse Özkan, Municipal Council Member Cahit Görüş, Zoning Director Sinan Pekcan, Zoning employee Yasin Bargaç, Fire Chief (former Human Resources Director) Mehmet Ağan, former Zoning Director Hakan Yılmaz, former Writing Affairs Director Tahsin Arslan, former Municipal Council Member and former Chairman of Bolu Bel A.Ş. Ergün Temel.
INTERROGATIONS LASTED 2 DAYS
The interrogation process, coordinated by the Bolu Provincial Gendarmerie Command, was completed in 2 days. After health checks conducted in the early hours of the morning, the 13 individuals were transferred to the Bolu Courthouse.
TANJU ÖZCAN WAS ARRESTED
After the completion of the interrogation procedures at the prosecutor's office in Bolu Courthouse, Tanju Özcan, Ali Sarıyıldız, and Süleyman Can were referred to the court with a request for arrest, while 10 individuals from the Bolu Municipality management and affiliated institution representatives were referred to the court with a request for judicial control. Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan and Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can were arrested by the on-duty Peace Criminal Court. Additionally, Bolsev Board Member and Former Municipal Council Member Ali Sarıyıldız received a house arrest sentence. The other 10 individuals were released under judicial control conditions. The arrested Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan and Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can will be transferred to prison after their health checks at the hospital.
TANJU ÖZCAN WAS SUSPENDED FROM THE MAYORALTY
The Ministry of Interior announced that Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, who was arrested for the crime of extortion, has been suspended from his duties.
In the statement from the Ministry, it was stated, "Bolu Mayor Tanju ÖZCAN has been suspended as a temporary measure in accordance with Article 127 of the Constitution and Article 47 of the Municipal Law No. 5393, following his arrest by the decision of the Bolu 2nd Peace Criminal Court dated 02.03.2026 and inquiry number 2026/48, due to the crime of 'Extortion by Coercion' for which an investigation is being conducted."