New indictments finalized in İzmir Municipality corruption case
İZMİR
Two more indictments seeking prison terms ranging from three to 14 years for 100 suspects have been accepted as part of the ongoing corruption investigations into the İzmir Municipality.
According to the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, one of the indictments concerns alleged irregularities in the procurement of construction machinery and vehicle rental services under the Climate Change and Zero Waste Directorate, as well as the Urban Cleaning Branch Directorate.
The indictment charges 56 suspects, including former construction subsidiary İZBETON’s General Manager Heval Savaş Kaya, with repeatedly rigging public tenders. They are scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 24.
The other indictment focused on road surfacing and maintenance works under the municipality’s transportation department. It targeted 44 suspects, again including Kaya, on charges of tender rigging and fraudulent execution of public contracts. Their first hearing is set for Nov. 25.
In a separate probe related to municipal cooperative schemes, an earlier indictment accuses 65 suspects, 11 of whom are currently in custody, of aggravated fraud committed in an organized and repeated manner.
The list of suspects includes former İzmir Mayor Tunç Soyer and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s İzmir provincial chair Şenol Aslanoğlu. They face up to 45 years in prison and are due in court on Sept. 19.
The investigations stem from a major corruption probe launched on July 1 into alleged irregularities in the municipal subsidiary İZBETON.
The probe, based on reports by the Court of Accounts, civil inspector and expert witnesses, led to arrest warrants for 157 individuals on charges of tender rigging and aggravated fraud.
The İzmir probe is part of a broader wave of graft investigations targeting CHP-run municipalities this year. Notably, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been jailed pending trial since March as part of a separate corruption investigation.
