Ten Detained in Çeşme Municipality Bribery Probe

A bribery and organized crime investigation targeting Çeşme Municipality led to the detention of 12 suspects on October 7, including Deputy Mayor Emre Can Durmaz and three deputy directors. Prosecutors ordered the arrest of 10 suspects, who were sent to Aliağa Prison, while two others were released under judicial control.

The probe began on October 5 after a cleaning worker was caught attempting to burn municipal documents at the instruction of Deputy Director Buğçe Sağlamer. Sağlamer already faced prior investigations for bribery, embezzlement, forgery, and organized crime.

“The director's final decision requires this payment.”

Covert recordings and WhatsApp messages revealed a scheme where citizens were charged 2.5 times the official fee for permits. Payments were routed to personal bank accounts, including a 70,000 TL transfer split between official fees and bribes. Staff allegedly told applicants the "director's final decision" required the extra payment.

The operation was coordinated by the Çeşme Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and executed by İzmir Gendarmerie units across 12 addresses simultaneously at 06:30 on October 7. Seized digital materials and documents form the core of the evidence.