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A court in Ankara has remanded Eyüpsultan Mayor Mithat Bülent Özmen and 12 other suspects in custody after prosecutors questioned them in an investigation into the municipality. Four other suspects who appeared before the judge were placed under judicial supervision rather than remanded in custody.

Özmen was remanded on suspicion of rigging public-sector tenders, accepting bribes and membership of a criminal organization. The other 12 suspects were remanded over alleged public-sector tender rigging. The investigation is being conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Prosecutors had issued detention orders for 28 suspects, including Özmen, over allegations of criminal organization membership, accepting and paying bribes, and bid-rigging. Ankara police financial crimes teams detained all 28 in simultaneous operations. Following medical checks, the suspects were transferred to Ankara, where the investigation is based.

All 28 were taken to the Ankara courthouse after police procedures were completed. Following questioning, prosecutors referred 17 of them, including the mayor, to a criminal judgeship with requests for pretrial detention. The remaining 11 were released under judicial supervision before the judge ruled on the detention requests.

Key Takeaways

• Mayor Mithat Bülent Özmen and 12 other suspects were remanded in custody.
• Özmen faces allegations of tender rigging, bribery and criminal organization membership.
• All 28 suspects were detained initially; 15 were subsequently placed under judicial supervision.