A new operation has been conducted as part of the corruption investigation into Yahşihan Municipality, led by the Kırıkkale Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Following the expansion of the investigation, simultaneous raids were carried out in two provinces on the morning of October 8.
In the operation carried out at 06:30 under the instruction of the prosecutor's office, all 9 suspects for whom detention warrants had been issued were apprehended. Searches were conducted at the Yahşihan Municipality service building, as well as at the homes and in the vehicles of the suspects.
As part of the investigation, an operation had previously been carried out in 4 provinces on September 24, with proceedings initiated against 37 suspects. 16 people, including former mayors A.S. and O.T., were arrested, while house arrest was imposed on 4 people and judicial control measures were applied to 16 others. An arrest warrant had also been issued for one suspect.
ASSETS AND ZONING FILES UNDER SCRUTINY
It was reported that in the file, which was expanded based on new evidence, statements taken, financial analysis reports, expert examinations, land registry and vehicle records, and findings in zoning files were evaluated. Following these evaluations, detention warrants were issued for 9 people.
As part of the operation, seizure measures were applied to numerous properties. Seizure orders were issued for 11 properties registered in the name of acting Yahşihan Mayor A.D., 1630 properties registered in the name of Deputy Mayor S.S.Y., 32 properties registered in the name of Municipal Council Member F.D., and 22 properties registered in the name of Municipal Council Member Ö.H.
Properties registered in the names of relatives of the former Zoning Manager U.B., who is being investigated on allegations of being an organized crime leader, were also placed under examination. 83 properties in the name of U.B.'s wife E.B., 122 in the name of his mother-in-law A.D., 122 in the name of his sister-in-law C.D., and 9 in the name of A.Ö. were seized. Additionally, a car registered to C.D. and a luxury SUV registered to A.Ö. were also seized.
It was learned that some statements in the investigation file included allegations that Deputy Mayor S.S.Y. managed the financial affairs of the suspended and arrested Mayor A.S. and acted as his "treasurer." It was stated that the prosecutor's office is investigating whether the assets in question were being concealed.
During the search of S.S.Y.'s home, an unlicensed 9-millimeter pistol with no serial number, 11,312 pistol cartridges, a mobile phone, a laptop, an external hard drive, and a memory card were seized.
The municipality's zoning procedures are also among the focal points of the investigation. The expert report stated that 5 out of 7 zoning files prepared by the municipality were returned by the Cadastre Directorate due to non-compliance with regulations. It was reported that some technical documents could not be found in the municipal archives, and that there were findings indicating attempts to register park areas as plots of land in the name of the municipality and attempts at duplicate creation of land titles.
News Source: 12punto
