Milas Mayor Fevzi Topuz Arrested and Transferred to Burdur Prison

A wide-ranging investigation into Milas Municipality led to the arrest of Mayor Fevzi Topuz and 17 others. Coordinated by the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, simultaneous operations were carried out on October 20 across 13 provinces, including Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Istanbul, and Izmir.

During the operation, 35 suspects were detained, including Mayor Fevzi Topuz and his son Doruk Topuz. After police procedures, 15 suspects were released, while 18 people, including the mayor and his son, were arrested. Two individuals were placed under house arrest.

“There is no material evidence in the file that would require our mayor to be arrested.”

The investigation focuses on allegations that tender documents and work experience certificates submitted by companies were fake. Authorities claim projects that were never carried out were presented as completed, with a total tender value of 2 billion 579 million 555 thousand 355 Turkish liras.

According to the Public Procurement Authority, eight companies allegedly using fake documents participated in 25 tenders, some of which were public tenders. The total value of these tenders was recorded as 3 billion 714 million 262 thousand 711 liras and 18 kurus. The companies are also accused of increasing their capital by 342 million 880 thousand liras through these documents.

Following his arrest, Mayor Fevzi Topuz was removed from office by the Ministry of Interior. He was subsequently transferred from Muğla to the Burdur E-Type Closed Penal Execution Institution.

CHP Spokesperson Müslim Sarı stated that lawyers visited Topuz in the Burdur prison and described his morale as high. Sarı said there is no material evidence in the file to justify the mayor's arrest and expressed confidence that Topuz would return to office soon.