03.04.2026 11:40
The issue of Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki giving a job at the municipality to the girlfriend of detained Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım was brought to the council agenda last night. Following the escalation of discussions regarding public loss and management understanding, Eşki closed the council session. After the meeting ended, a scuffle broke out in the council hall.
At the Bornova Municipality Council meeting, allegations emerged regarding Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım, who was arrested due to corruption claims, revealing that he had a romantic relationship with Aslıhan A. (21), who allegedly received a salary from Bornova Municipality despite not going to work. AK Party council member Akın Dalgıç, who spoke at the opening of the council, demanded a transparent explanation from Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki. Mayor Eşki, however, requested that the issue be discussed outside the agenda and continued the meeting with standard items.
"THE SUBJECT OF THE ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP" WAS BROUGHT TO THE COUNCIL AK Party Council Member Akın Dalgıç expressed that the events were contrary to the fabric of Bornova. Dalgıç stated, "Mr. Mayor, we expect you to make transparent statements that will eliminate all doubts in line with the principle of accountability and to contribute to the public's correct and healthy information regarding the issues I just mentioned. Thank you," he said. Following him, AK Party Council Member Sait Tatlı said, "You are speaking as the mayor of Bornova. First of all, we need to discuss the incident that has made headlines in Turkey," he expressed.
CHP Council Member Yağmur Özkan interjected, arguing that off-agenda issues should be discussed at the end of the council. Mayor Ömer Eşki responded, "Mr. Sait, I did not give the floor. I do not grant the right to speak de facto. I am continuing with the agenda."
REACTION TO PUBLIC DAMAGE BY BORNOVA MUNICIPALITY In the wishes and hopes, AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Sait Tatlı harshly criticized the management approach of Bornova Municipality. Tatlı said, "Today we are not discussing a staff member, a salary, or a 5-month mistake. Today we are discussing a management approach. Mr. Ömer Eşki comes out and says, 'I will pay the public damage from my pocket.' Now let's speak frankly. Is this taking responsibility, or is it an attempt to cover up responsibility with money? I ask you, Mr. Mayor, is public damage just one salary? What about the work that was not done in those 5 months? What about the delayed services? With what money will you bring back the time that Bornova has lost?" He questioned how the employee in question was hired, saying, "You stated that 'he applied with a reference.' Then let's speak frankly. Is Bornova Municipality managed by merit, or by reference? If there is merit, why was this person hired? If there is no merit, that is already a problem in itself. There are these two possibilities here, there is no third possibility," he expressed.
ALLEGATIONS OF ATM PERSONNEL AND MANAGEMENT WEAKNESS Questioning why the personnel who received salaries without coming to work were not noticed for months, Tatlı said, "Since you also admit that this personnel is an ATM, let us ask, Mr. Mayor. Are there any other ATM personnel hired in this way? If so, how many? If not, how was this person not noticed for months? There is a serious management weakness here," he stated. Criticizing the fines imposed by the municipality and management errors, Tatlı said, "A serious fine was imposed on the municipality due to the rubble that was illegally dumped by the municipality. Will you also cover the fine imposed on the municipality due to your arbitrariness from your pocket? Despite the demolition decision regarding the place located right across from the municipality, no action has been taken until today, and the municipality even rented this place to open a cat house. The municipality has been put in the position of a tenant in its own property. A year in advance, a place is rented to open a city treasury, but it is not used for a year. Whose pocket did that rent come out of, Mr. Mayor? Will you pay that too?" he asked.
Moments when Özkan Yalım was taken into custody "HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU HIRED?" Claiming that the tenders and hiring processes in the municipality were not transparent, Tatlı said, "Let's look at the direct procurements. Almost all of them revolve around 4-5 companies. Is this a coincidence, or a preference? 45 people were hired immediately after the CHP district congress. Now I ask openly. Were these hires made out of necessity, or as a result of a political process?" he expressed.
Stating that they did not receive answers to the questions they submitted, Tatlı said, "Since you took office, how many people have you hired? But you did not answer any of these questions. We have made a legal application. However, unfortunately, the district governor's office did not find it appropriate to open an investigation despite the clear provisions of the law. Or did you leave these questions unanswered out of fear that ATM personnel would be revealed? Is it true that during this process, which has been ongoing for about a week, 34-35 personnel have been dismissed? Were these personnel who were dismissed also ATMs? Is that why you hastily dismissed them?" he questioned.
CALL FOR RESIGNATION TO MAYOR EŞKİ Continuing his criticisms, Tatlı invited Mayor Eşki to resign. Tatlı said, "Is it true that one of your uncle's children also worked as an ATM in the municipality? Even while you apologize, you reduce the cost of your mistake to a narrow framework that can be measured in money. This attitude does not magnify the apology. On the contrary, it diminishes the apology. Are you not doing injustice to the municipal employees who work with the sweat of their brow and keep this institution alive with their labor? No public damage you will cover will restore the trust you have lost. Because trust is not gained with money, but with justice, merit, and transparency. A criminal complaint will be filed with the prosecutor's office regarding this process. We invite Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki to resign after this process, which wounds the public conscience and undermines trust," he stated.
TENSION ROSE IN THE COUNCIL Responding to the statements, Mayor Ömer Eşki said, "The basis of these attacks is the results that came out in the polls. Everyone has acquaintances somewhere. Filing a criminal complaint about this is one thing, distorting my sincere apology is another. The issue is to create a bad perception and carry out a political execution; I am not a person who will give my head," he expressed. At this moment, as AK Party council members wanted to speak, Mayor Eşki said, "Do not interrupt. Can you be quiet? Do not interrupt while I am speaking. I give the floor when you request it. You are performing a show," he said. Sait Tatlı, who took the floor again, said, "I am not performing a show. The one who hired the relative of Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım is performing a show."
"What did I say?" he spoke.
SCUFFLE BROKE OUT As the discussions heated up, President Eşki closed the council session. After the meeting ended, tensions escalated in the council hall, and a scuffle broke out among the members. While some council members charged at each other, the AK Party members protested the administration by banging on the tables. The CHP council members left the hall amid applause of disapproval.