Following a report of document destruction, 10 out of 12 suspects detained—including Deputy Mayor Emre Can Durmaz and former Acting Zoning Director Buğçe Sağlamer—were arrested on October 7 as part of an investigation into allegations of "establishing, managing, and being a member of a criminal organization," "bribery," "extortion," and "forgery of official documents."
Lal Denizli responded one by one to the 6 separate allegations directed at her, ranging from the document destruction claim to bribery demands, and sent the message: "There is no cover-up; we have handed over all information and documents."
EMPHASIZED RESPECT FOR THE JUDICIAL PROCESS
Stating that she bears the responsibility of speaking about the ongoing judicial process, Lal Denizli noted that they are acting in full cooperation with judicial authorities and that she is responsible to the people of Çeşme. In her statement, Denizli said:
"I am aware of the responsibility required to speak about an ongoing judicial investigation. I respect the duties and powers of the judicial authorities. I do not want to adopt any attitude that would cast a shadow over the integrity of the investigation, affect the evaluation of evidence, or influence the functioning of the judicial process."
EXPLAINED THE DETAILS OF ALL 6 ALLEGATIONS
Stating that the allegations directed at her colleagues are gathered under 6 main headings, Lal Denizli listed the sources of these allegations with the following words:
"The first of these is the allegation, which was also reflected in the press, that documents in the municipal archive were destroyed. The second is a complaint by a businessperson that unlawful benefits were obtained from them. The remaining four separate incidents consist of complaints voiced by E.S., the spouse of our arrested former Acting Zoning Director Buğçe Sağlamer, who is in the process of divorce."
"FILES WERE HANDED OVER TO THE GENDARMERIE"
Clarifying the widely publicized allegations of document burning, Denizli stated that the incident on October 5, 2026, occurred without her knowledge or instructions, and that as soon as they learned of the incident, they initiated an administrative investigation and filed a criminal complaint with the Çeşme Chief Public Prosecutor's Office that same evening. Addressing the issue referred to as the "destruction list," Denizli stated:
"First of all, I would like to clarify the allegations that have received wide coverage in the public eye regarding the destruction of certain documents in the municipal archive. The incident in question, which took place on October 5, 2026, occurred without the prior knowledge or instruction of myself or our deputy mayors. As soon as the matter was learned by our relevant managers, we immediately initiated an administrative investigation within our municipality. However, we did not stop there. That same evening, we filed a criminal complaint with the Çeşme Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In other words, even before these allegations reached the public agenda, we, as the Çeşme Municipality, wrote our necessary official letters to ensure that both administrative and judicial authorities took action.
At this point, it would be correct for me to share important information regarding the document that was reflected in the press and referred to as the 'destruction list' in the public eye. The files alleged to have been destroyed were delivered by us in full to the Buca Gendarmerie Provincial Command around 16:30 on October 7, the day the operation took place. Therefore, I would like to specifically state that presenting the destruction of the files on the list circulated in the public eye as evidence does not reflect the truth. Because it is a concrete fact that the files alleged to have been destroyed are in our municipality's archive and have been delivered to the authorized law enforcement units. Apart from this, the examination regarding the content of the other documents will be carried out by the expert appointed by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Our duty is to present all the information and documents in our possession to the authorized authorities without covering up any allegations and without getting in the way of any investigation. This is exactly what we did in this incident."
MUNICIPALITY'S VICTIMIZATION REGARDING BRIBERY ALLEGATION EXPRESSED!
Stating that they will protect the rights of the municipality regarding the second allegation that money was requested from a businessperson, Lal Denizli said they want the incident to be investigated meticulously. Denizli said the following on this subject:
"In the other incident subject to the investigation, it is alleged that money was requested from a businessperson through a business follower who is not a municipal employee and two document registration clerks. I sincerely hope that this allegation is investigated meticulously; if it is proven that the relevant parties committed this crime, I have full faith that all necessary legal processes will be carried out. Regarding the same allegation, I must clearly remind you that our municipality is actually the victim of this. Let no one have the slightest doubt that we will protect the rights and interests of our municipality in this matter as well."
COMPLAINTS DURING DIVORCE PROCESS AND FIELD INSPECTIONS REPORTED
Stating that the 4 separate complaints forming the main body of the investigation were made by E.S., the spouse of the arrested former Acting Zoning Director Buğçe Sağlamer, who is in the process of divorce, Denizli stated that administrative and judicial processes were initiated on time, sealing procedures were carried out, and the District Governorship and law enforcement forces were informed. Denizli conveyed the details of the process with these words:
"My dear fellow citizens, the four separate complaints that form the main body of this investigation were voiced by E.S., the spouse of our former Acting Zoning Director Buğçe Sağlamer, who is in the process of divorce. The complaints, which are presented today in some media outlets as 'covered-up irregularities' by distorting them significantly, were made to our municipality before the prosecutor's office and the public. A separate disciplinary investigation was initiated for each complaint petition the person submitted to our municipality, and the relevant files were taken under protection on the same day. Immediately in the following days, we requested a judicial examination from the Çeşme Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Throughout the audit we conducted regarding the four separate complaint petitions, we regularly informed our District Governorship with official letters. We delivered every file requested by the police and the Gendarmerie, along with its list. In the field inspections we conducted regarding the petitions, we carried out sealing procedures between June 1-4, 2026, on some island parcels subject to the complaints where we detected non-compliance, and we took a sanction decision through our council."
Lal Denizli'den belediye hakkındaki iddialara videolu yanıt: Tek tek açıkladı https://t.co/uwy3XpBOFL https://t.co/DaTQs9qIs2
— 12punto (@12puntocomtr) October 12, 2026
News Source: 12punto
