30.10.2026 02:18
Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, who was arrested and suspended from duty in the investigation conducted over allegations of irregularities in construction and occupancy permit procedures at Üsküdar Municipality, was released under the judicial control measure of “not leaving the residence.” Dedetaş, who was arrested on July 31 on charges of “bribery,” “embezzlement,” and “founding and managing an organization to commit crimes,” had been in prison in Çorlu for about 3 months. The first photo of Dedetaş after her release has also emerged.
A new development has occurred in the investigation by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into Üsküdar Municipality. A decision was made to release arrested Mayor Sinem Dedetaş subject to house arrest.
RELEASE SUBJECT TO HOUSE ARREST The investigation conducted by the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office continues on the allegation that irregularities were committed in building and occupancy permit procedures at Üsküdar Municipality and that the crimes of “bribery” and “graft” were committed. It was decided that Sinem Dedetaş, who was arrested within the scope of the investigation and suspended from the office of Mayor of Üsküdar, would be released under the judicial control measure of “not leaving the residence.”
Suspended Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş (left), Dedetaş's lawyer Akın Atalay (right) Dedetaş's lawyer Akın Atalay, who announced the decision on his social media account, reported that their release application had been accepted and that it had been decided to release his client from prison under the judicial control measure of house arrest.
HOW DID THE INVESTIGATION BEGIN? The investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office began with tip-offs that Üsküdar Deputy Mayor F.D., Mayor's Advisor U.M., Private Office A.K., Kent AŞ General Manager N.A., and relevant unit managers and personnel committed irregularities in the process of granting building and occupancy permits. Upon tip-offs, victim statements, and statements of some suspects, an investigation was also initiated against Sinem Dedetaş on charges of “bribery,” “graft,” and “forming and managing an organization to commit crimes.”
CLAIM OF ENCRYPTED E-MAIL AND EXCEL SPREADSHEET In the investigation, it was alleged that officials of the municipal affiliate Kent AŞ, who had no authority in the process of granting building permits, coordinated the permit process. According to the allegation, Kent AŞ officials gave instructions to municipal personnel by preparing Excel spreadsheets with block-and-parcel-based color coding through a communication network established over encrypted and closed-circuit e-mail.
CLAIM OF 361 MILLION LIRA OBTAINED BY COERCION According to MASAK data, it was claimed that numerous sham “consulting service” contracts with a total value of 1 billion 78 million 870 thousand 833 lira were signed between Kent AŞ and contractors. It was alleged that through these contracts, 361 million 392 thousand 264 lira was obtained through coercion from contractors seeking to obtain building permits through informal means.
CLAIM OF BRIBERY IN CASH DOLLARS According to the allegations in the investigation file, in projects with a large construction volume, bribes in cash dollars were received from contractors under the coordination of Dedetaş's advisor U.M. and Kent AŞ General Manager N.A. It was alleged that occupancy permits contrary to the legislation were granted in return for bribes, and that the money was delivered to U.M. in pieces at the Üsküdar Municipality building, as established through HTS records, base data, and suspect statements.
OPERATION AT 11 ADDRESSES, 4 ARRESTS Within the scope of the investigation, a simultaneous operation was carried out at 11 addresses on July 29. Six suspects taken into custody were referred to the Istanbul Anatolian Courthouse. Among the suspects, Sinem Dedetaş, Private Office Alihan Koçoğlu, architect Burçin Çevik, and contractor Bülent Orhan Tozkoparan were arrested on July 31. Deputy Mayor Ceyhun Ünlü and business facilitator Adem Altıntaş were released subject to judicial control.
SHE HAD BEEN SENT TO THE ÇORLU PRISON After her arrest, Dedetaş was sent to the Çorlu Karatepe Penal Institution in Tekirdağ and was suspended from the office of mayor by the Ministry of Interior on August 1 as a temporary measure.
DEDETAŞ HAD DENIED THE ACCUSATIONS In her statement at the prosecutor's office, Dedetaş denied the accusations and argued that she did not know the details of the revenues obtained from the consulting contracts Kent AŞ made with contractors. Dedetaş said that she became aware of the allegations regarding Kent AŞ's operations while giving a statement at the police station, and that after the investigation she had the projects for which the company signed contracts and was granted permits examined. Dedetaş's lawyers, on the other hand, argued that the accounts in the file could at most be evaluated within the scope of “abuse of office.”
THE INVESTIGATION EXPANDED Within the scope of the investigation, Deputy Mayors Amine Cansu Çelik and Mithat Özdemir were also taken into custody on September 2. Özdemir, who was referred to the courthouse, was released under the judicial control measure of a ban on leaving the country. Çelik, who was arrested, was later released with a judicial control decision of “not leaving the residence.” The municipality's Permit Inspection Manager Burak Aydın and business operator Erdem Koyunyerli were also arrested in the investigation.