First message from detained Mustafa Bozbey: 'I would have come if they had called'

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey was detained this morning following a search of his home. A detention order was issued for a large number of people along with Bozbey.

It was reported that a total of 58 people were issued detention orders as part of the proceedings, and approximately 50 of these individuals have been taken into custody.

FIRST STATEMENT FROM BOZBEY

Mustafa Bozbey, who was detained, shared the following message on his social media account:

“What is being done to the people of Bursa is not right! I am honored to love Bursa and the people of Bursa so much and to serve them. I am honored to walk on the path shown by our eternal leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. My struggle is for the future, the bread, and the prosperity of Bursa!”

“I WOULD HAVE COME IF THEY HAD CALLED” MESSAGE

CHP Group Spokesperson Yücel Akbulut announced Bozbey's message to the public following his meeting with Mustafa Bozbey. The message conveyed by Bozbey included the following statements:

“I would have come if they had called. It is not right to take me from my home with a dawn raid like this. This is an indication that this matter is political. May our colleagues continue to serve our citizens in Bursa as if I were there; do not let the service be disrupted. The people of Bursa expect service from us.”

DETAILS OF THE OPERATION EMERGE

It was learned that the operation was initiated as part of an investigation conducted by the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Simultaneous raids were carried out as part of the operation conducted by the Bursa Police Department's Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch teams.

FAMILY MEMBERS AND FIGURES FROM THE MUNICIPALITY CIRCLE ARE IN CUSTODY

It was stated that the number of people detained as part of the operation exceeded 55. It was reported that among those detained were Mustafa Bozbey's chief of staff, his wife, his daughter, his daughter-in-law, and his brother.

PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE ISSUED A STATEMENT: OPERATION CARRIED OUT IN 4 CITIES

The Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a statement regarding the operation carried out in the early hours of the morning. The statement also listed those detained. It was learned that the operation was carried out simultaneously in Bursa, Istanbul, Balıkesir, and Diyarbakır. The prosecutor's office statement is as follows:

"As part of the investigation conducted by the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a simultaneous operation was carried out on 31.03.2026 in 4 provinces, including Bursa-based Istanbul, Balıkesir, and Diyarbakır, against a total of 59 suspects, including those in the position of organization leader (Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and former Nilüfer Municipality Mayor Turgay ERDEM (Imprisoned)), who were determined to be involved in the crimes of Establishing an Organization for the Purpose of Committing Crimes, Being a Member of an Organization Established for the Purpose of Committing Crimes, and Laundering Assets Derived from Crime; and;

1-Mustafa BOZBEY (Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor)

2-Seden BOZBEY (Mustafa BOZBEY’s wife)

3-Side BOZBEY GÜRER (Mustafa BOZBEY’s daughter)

4-Muhkim DEMİRTAŞ (Front Company Official)

5-Ramiz BOZBEY (Mustafa BOZBEY’s brother)

6-Ertan BOZBEY (Mustafa BOZBEY’s brother)

7-İldam AYDIN BOZBEY (Architecture Office Owner)

8-Semih ATLI (Mediator for Bribery)

9-Aytunç ESENDEMİRCİ (Mediator for Bribery, Mustafa BOZBEY’s former Chief of Staff)

10-Züleyha ESENDEMİRCİ (Mediator for Bribery)

11-Mehmet Ali DÖNER (Mediator for Bribery)

12-Elif DÖNER (Mediator for Bribery)

13-Fuat BAKGÖR (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

14-Yusuf BAKGÖR (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

15-Ferhat BAKGÖR (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

16-Faruk BAKGÖR (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

17-Orhan ÇELEBİ (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

18-Mehmet Necati Çelebi (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

19-Muzaffer RIZVANOĞLU (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

20-İhsan RIZVANOĞLU (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

21-Zafer RIZVANOĞLU (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

22-Yusuf Berat RIZVANOĞLU (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

23-Batuhan ABAY (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

24-Cansu Pınar HAYIRLIOĞLU (Mediator for Bribery, Municipal Employee)

25-Bahri ATALAY (Mediator for Bribery)

26-Doğan GÜNDÜZ (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

27-Berat GÖRAL (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

28-Tolga ŞEN (Mediator for Bribery)

29-Ümit İRVEN (Mediator for Bribery)

30-Mehmet Ziya ARSLAN (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

31-Şener ARSLAN (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

32-Zafer ARSLAN (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

33-Nevzat GÜLENELİ (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

34-Naci KALE (Mediator for Bribery, former employee of Nilüfer Municipality subsidiary NİLBEL)

35-Serkan BAYRAM (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

36-Hüseyin GÜR (Mediator for Bribery)

37-Yılmaz ADIGÜZEL (Mediator for Bribery, Nilüfer Municipality Police Chief)

38-Sırrı AYDIN (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

39-Necati EREN (Front Company Official)

40-Orhan TOSUN (Front Company Official)

41-Fahrettin ÇAKIR (Mediator for Bribery)

42-Yalçın IŞIKYILDIZ (Mediator for Bribery, former Deputy Mayor of Nilüfer Municipality)

43-Serdar GÜNIŞIK (Mediator for Bribery)

44-Kübra ABLAY (Mediator for Bribery)

45-Bahadır ABLAY (Mediator for Bribery)

46-Metin Yaşar ÇELİK (Mediator for Bribery)

47-Ersel ÇAKIR (Mediator for Bribery)

48-Şevket İLHAN (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

49-Sertaç KARAALP (Bribe Giver, Businessman)

50-Selda NARTOP (Mediator for Bribery, Municipal Employee)

51-Alper BİÇER (Mediator for Bribery)

52-Tarık TARIM (Mediator for Bribery)

53-Murat HASAN (Mediator for Bribery)

54-Sertaç AŞLAK (Mediator for Bribery)

55-Fatih SALMAN (Mediator for Bribery)

The named individuals have been captured and taken into custody.

1-Abdülkadir ALKAN (Bribe Giver, Businessman-FUGITIVE)

2-Naci ABAY (Bribe Giver, Businessman-FUGITIVE)

3-Şevket GÜNDÜZ (Bribe Giver, Businessman, FUGITIVE ABROAD)

4-Tuğrul KUTLUAY (Bribe Giver, Businessman, FUGITIVE ABROAD)

Efforts to capture the 4 suspects are ongoing; searches of residences and workplaces continue."

WHO IS MUSTAFA BOZBEY?

Born in 1962 in the Özlüce neighborhood of Bursa, Mustafa Bozbey completed his primary education at Özlüce Primary School and his secondary and high school education at Bursa Cumhuriyet High School. Graduating from the Department of Civil Engineering at Anadolu University's Faculty of Engineering and Architecture in 1984, Bozbey received the title of Civil Engineer by completing his master's degree at the same university.

Mustafa Bozbey, who began his professional career in 1986, continued his work at his own company by founding Bozbey İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi in 1989. Having signed off on many mass housing projects, Bozbey won the election he entered as the Democratic Left Party's Nilüfer Mayoral Candidate on April 18, 1999, becoming the third mayor of Nilüfer. After being elected mayor, he transferred his duties and authorities in the company.

Nilüfer, which was newly developing, gained a contemporary, planned, and high-quality urban identity in a short time under Bozbey's administration. After a successful term, Bozbey became a candidate from the Republican People's Party in the local elections on March 28, 2004, and won the election again, becoming the first mayor to be elected for two consecutive terms in the central districts of Bursa. Mustafa Bozbey also won the March 29, 2009 elections, extending this success to three terms.

During these three terms, the appeal of Nilüfer gradually increased with exemplary practices and an innovative municipal approach; the district became known on a national and international scale. Being the CHP's candidate again in the 2014 local elections, Bozbey won the election by a wide margin, becoming a mayor who won elections for four consecutive terms. Thanks to the work he carried out with the principle of common sense and participation during his 20-year administration period, Nilüfer consistently rose in Human Development Reports and became one of the most developed districts in Turkey.

Believing that cities should be managed with participation, science, and together with the citizens, Bozbey became the CHP's Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate in the 2019 local elections. He reached the highest vote in his party's history by receiving 47.03 percent of the valid votes, but placed second by a small margin.

Mustafa Bozbey, who was nominated as the CHP's Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayoral Candidate again in the 2024 local elections, won a great victory by receiving 47.62 percent of the votes. Mustafa Bozbey continues his duty as the 7th Mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality.

Mustafa Bozbey, who married Seden Bozbey in 2014, is a father of one daughter and a grandfather of two.

News Source: 12punto