23.03.2025 12:30
Can Akın Çağlar, the Secretary General of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), who was detained in the corruption investigation against İBB, has been released. Speaking to the press after his release from the courthouse, Çağlar stated that he was released under judicial control conditions and said, "Facing such treatment undermines a person's dignity."
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting investigations against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) President Ekrem İmamoğlu and 99 suspects for crimes including "being a leader of a criminal organization," "being a member of a criminal organization," "bribery," "corruption," "qualified fraud," "illegally obtaining personal data," and "interfering with a tender." Additionally, investigations have been initiated against İmamoğlu, IBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, and 7 other suspects for the crime of "aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization." After their procedures at the police station, some suspects were transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan, where their proceedings before the duty magistrate were completed.
RELEASED, MADE FIRST STATEMENT AT THE COURTHOUSE DOOR
The court released Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Secretary General Can Akın Çağlar with "a travel ban and judicial control condition." In a statement made after leaving the courthouse, the released IBB Secretary General Can Akın Çağlar said, "Facing such treatment undermines a person's dignity."
HIS APPOINTMENT TO IBB HAD SPARKED CONTROVERSY
Due to some loans he granted during his 8 years as general manager at Ziraat Bank, Çağlar was accused of corruption by CHP member Aykut Erdoğdu. The loan he provided for the ORA Shopping Center in Bayrampaşa had drawn significant criticism.
The loan was also brought to the attention of the Turkish Grand National Assembly's State Economic Enterprises (KİT) Commission by CHP members. The loan provided by Ziraat Bank for the ORA Istanbul Shopping Center, amounting to 290 million Euros (270 million Euros principal and 20 million Euros interest), was described by CHP Istanbul MP Aykut Erdoğdu as "the highest non-performing loan in the history of the Republic."
WHO IS CAN AKIN ÇAĞLAR?
Born in 1962 in Sivas, Çağlar began his professional career in 1985 as a Certified Auditor for Banks at the Ministry of Treasury after completing his master's degree in banking at Istanbul University.
After obtaining a master's degree in Financial Economics at Boston University in the USA between 1995 and 1997, Çağlar returned to Turkey and continued his career as Deputy General Manager at Egebank AŞ and simultaneously as General Manager at Ege Yatırım AŞ.
From 1998 to 2003, Çağlar served as General Manager at Faisal Finance, and for the next 8.5 years, he held the same position at T.C. Ziraat Bankası.
In July 2011, he left his position at Ziraat Bank and was appointed as a Board Member of the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK). He left this position, which was for a term of 6 years, before the term ended in 2014 and returned to the private sector. Due to the two-year prohibition on holding any position in a bank after leaving the BDDK, he continued his career in the insurance sector and became the General Manager of Eureko Sigorta AŞ, a Dutch company, in 2014.
Until May 2019, during his 5-year tenure as General Manager of Eureko Sigorta, he served as a board member at Inter-American, Tarsim, and Dask, as well as the Chairman of the Insurance Information Center and the Guarantee Fund, in addition to holding the presidency of the Turkey Insurance Association, the highest institution in the sector.
Before his appointment to IBB, Çağlar's last position was as Vice Chairman of the Board of Eureko Sigorta AŞ. He is married and has three children.