Bolu municipality investigation leads to another arrest order for Tanju Özcan

A court issued another detention order for Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, who is already suspended and jailed in connection with a separate offense. Seven people were sent to the courthouse for detention requests after an investigation by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The court ordered Özcan’s detention along with Deputy Mayor Gülden Özaydın, acting head of the municipal Cleaning Services Directorate Basri Baytekin, the chair of the directorate’s inspection and acceptance commission identified as B.T., and the owner and two employees of the contracting company. Eight people were released under judicial supervision.

The investigation concerns alleged irregularities in vehicle-rental tenders issued by Bolu Municipality. Prosecutors had ordered the detention of 22 people, including municipal employees and officials from cleaning companies and the contractor. Fourteen of the 21 people detained so far were sent to court, while six were earlier released under judicial supervision after questioning by prosecutors.

A technical review cited in an expert report allegedly found that some garbage-collection vehicles were recorded as working on days when they had not operated. Based on those records, the contractor, MCY-Yeşilçam Joint Venture, allegedly received 34,288,376.61 liras in excess and improper payments, including price differences and value-added tax, across 19 payment claims prepared by the municipality’s Cleaning Services Directorate. Authorities said efforts to capture one fugitive suspect were continuing.