In the investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into Eyüpsultan Municipality, 17 people, including Mayor Mithat Bülent Özmen, were referred to the on-duty criminal judgeship of peace with a request for their arrest. The judgeship ruled for the arrest of 13 people, including Özmen.
According to the decision, it was stated that there is concrete evidence showing strong suspicion of crime against Özmen for “rigging the tenders of public institutions or organizations,” “taking bribes,” and “being a member of an organization established to commit crimes”; and against the other arrestees for the crime of rigging tenders.
In the reasoning, the statements of H.A and E.B, the examinations and reports regarding the tenders, and HTS records were listed as evidence; it was noted that the file contains examinations related to 7 tenders. It was emphasized that the investigation is being conducted confidentially and that judicial control measures would be insufficient at this stage.
The request for the arrest of Halil İbrahim Şahin, Ali Kemal Güler, Ali Yentur and Bilal Gören was rejected. A ban on leaving the country and an obligation to sign in at the nearest law enforcement unit every Friday between 08.00-21.00 were imposed on these four individuals.
Of the 28 suspects detained within the scope of the investigation, 11 had previously been released under judicial control.
Why it matters
The arrest of a sitting mayor leaves open the question of how governance will continue in Eyüpsultan; the decision most directly affects the district’s residents and the companies doing business with the municipality. The fact that the file states only seven tenders have been examined keeps on the agenda the question of whether the scope of the investigation will expand. The backbone of the accusations consists of the statements of two individuals, along with the tender minutes and HTS records; how this evidence will be assessed during the trial phase will determine the fate of the case. The issuance of 13 arrests, four judicial control decisions and, previously, 11 release decisions in the same investigation shows that the judiciary is making a distinction of responsibility among the suspects. The investigation being conducted confidentially and through the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, together with the court’s finding judicial control measures insufficient, gives the impression that the case is still at an early stage.
Background
The mayor is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 26 stories featuring this name in the last 90 days; the most recent one is dated October 6, 2026.