10.04.2026 14:40
Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki, who was detained as part of an investigation into the allegation that Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım hired his girlfriend A.A. within the Bornova Municipality and received a salary despite not showing up for work, stated in his testimony, "I paid the 5 months' salary to the municipal treasury for A.A. I only assisted with her hiring process. I was not aware of her relationship with Yalım. I do not accept any of the accusations."
The İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation against municipal officials regarding the allegation that A.A., who is claimed to have a relationship with Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım, was hired by Bornova Municipality and received a salary despite not actually performing any duties, on charges of "qualified fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations and forgery in official documents."
Özkan Yalım As part of the investigation, Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki, Call Center Customer Representative A.A. at Bornova Municipality, Human Resources Manager P.K. of Bornova Municipality Personnel AŞ, and Press and Public Relations Manager V.İ.A. of Bornova Municipality were detained yesterday.
OBJECTION TO THEIR RELEASE After completing their procedures at the police station, the suspects were referred to the courthouse yesterday evening. After their statements to the prosecutor's office, all suspects were brought before the On-Duty Magistrate's Court with a request for arrest on charges of 'qualified fraud' and 'forgery in official documents.' The court decided to release 4 suspects, including A.A., under judicial control with a travel ban abroad.
It was learned that the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office objected to the release of the suspects. On the other hand, it was stated that A.A. accepted the accusations against him in his statement to the prosecutor and indicated that he would pay the damages incurred. It was emphasized that the investigation would continue to be expanded.
EŞKİ: I PAID 5 MONTHS' SALARY TO THE MUNICIPALITY CASH DESK Statements from the suspects emerged during the operation conducted against Bornova Municipality. In his statement, Mayor Eşki reportedly said that he was not aware of whether A.A. continued to work despite being a reference for him. It was noted that Mayor Eşki stated that the 5 months' salary paid to A.A. was reimbursed to the municipality cash desk. Eşki said, "I only helped A.A. to start working at the municipality upon request. Other than that, I did not get involved in any of his other matters. I did not know about his relationship with the Uşak Mayor. I do not accept any accusations. I did not turn a blind eye to these situations knowingly; if I had known, I would have definitely intervened from the beginning."
Ömer Eşki "I QUIT MY JOB WHEN THE PRESS CAME AFTER US" A.A., who was released under judicial control, reportedly stated that he was the girlfriend of Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım. In his statement, A.A. said, "I quit my job when the press came after us, and Özkan Yalım asked for help from the Mayor of Bornova. Later, they called me from the municipality and asked for my documents. I started working by bringing my documents in September 2025."
A.A: I NEVER WENT TO WORK, I DID NOT RESPOND TO MESSAGES A.A., who stated that he never went to work, said, "I had a relationship with Mayor Özkan. I did not continue working because Özkan took me to the places he went. I went abroad with Özkan or attended some of his programs because he was taking me. It is true that I went abroad during this period. I was using the phone I mentioned above during this time. No one from the municipality told me not to come to work. During the times I did not come to work, my mobile phone was called for control purposes, and messages were sent, but I did not respond."
A.A. "WHEN I TOLD ÖZKAN, HE SAID, 'DON'T WORRY, IT WILL BE FINE'" A.A., who claimed that he did not prepare false documents and did not act with the intent to defraud the SGK, continued his statement as follows:
"I thought they would fire me anyway; otherwise, I had no intention of committing fraud. Therefore, as I mentioned in my previous statements, I do not accept the accusations. I would like to remedy the institutional damages that have arisen both in the municipality and in the SGK. I was disturbed by this situation. When I told Özkan Yalım, he said, 'Don't worry, it will be fine.'
A.A. also stated in his testimony that he did not meet or speak with Ömer Eşki face to face or by phone, and that all connections were established by Özkan Yalım.