Verdict reached in Özlem Çerçioğlu's 'bid rigging' trial
Özlem Çerçioğlu and several other defendants, who were on trial regarding corruption allegations related to various tenders held between 2013 and 2015, have been acquitted by the court.
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A verdict has been reached in the trial held at the Aydın 4th Criminal Court of First Instance, which examined tenders conducted by the Aydın Metropolitan Municipality and its affiliated institutions between 2013 and 2015. A total of 33 people, including Metropolitan Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, were being tried on charges of "bid rigging" and "misconduct in office."
The case files were formed by consolidating a series of tenders related to the Aydın Metropolitan Municipality, the former Private Secretary's Office, the ASKİ General Directorate, and the Efeler Municipality into a single file. Despite the prosecution's opinion requesting the punishment of some defendants, the court panel decided that Çerçioğlu and several other defendants were innocent.
Alongside the acquittal decision, the court ruled that 7 defendants would receive prison sentences of varying lengths in connection with one of the tenders.
In the case in question, as stated in the indictment, serious charges were brought against 33 people, including Özlem Çerçioğlu—who had switched to the AKP after being elected from the CHP—and prison sentences were requested. However, as a result of the hearing, Çerçioğlu and the majority of the defendants were acquitted.