Bolu Mayor Özcan referred to court with request for arrest

An operation was launched as part of an investigation conducted by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the crime of extortion, defined as a public official abusing the influence provided by their position to force themselves or others to provide unfair benefits.

Teams from the Bolu Provincial Gendarmerie Command carried out a simultaneous operation at 13 addresses on the morning of February 28. In the operation conducted under the instruction of the prosecutor's office, 13 people, including Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, were taken into custody.

Those detained included Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, Deputy Mayor Süleyman Can, Financial Affairs Manager Naim Ayhan, Bolsev Foundation Board Chairman Ali Sarıyıldız, Municipal Council Member Hüseyin Ekrem Serin, Municipal Council Member Buse Özkan, Municipal Council Member Cahit Görüş, Zoning Manager Sinan Pekcan, Zoning employee Yasin Bargaç, Fire Department Manager (former Human Resources Manager) Mehmet Ağan, former Municipal Police Chief Hakan Yılmaz, former Correspondence Manager Tahsin Arslan, and former Municipal Council Member and former Bolu Bel A.Ş. Board Chairman Ergün Temel. The statement procedures, which lasted 2 days under the coordination of the Bolu Provincial Gendarmerie Command, have been completed.

The 13 individuals were referred to the Bolu Courthouse after undergoing health checks in the early hours of the morning. Following the completion of their statements at the prosecutor's office in the Bolu Courthouse, Tanju Özcan, Ali Sarıyıldız, and Süleyman Can were referred to court with a request for arrest, while 10 people from the Bolu Municipality administration and representatives of related institutions were referred with a request for judicial control.

News Source: 12punto