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Izmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hurriyet and her husband, Murat Hurriyet, were detained on Monday morning as part of a corruption investigation that prompted simultaneous operations against at least 28 suspects across five provinces.
According to a statement from the prosecutor's office, the Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau's probe examined certain tenders issued by the Izmit Municipality, relying on suspect testimonies, statements from cooperating individuals, and protected witness accounts.
"Within the scope of the investigation, judicial proceedings were initiated based on findings that companies winning tenders issued by the Izmit Municipality, as well as those bidding on them, had familial ties to municipal officials; that money was collected from companies doing business with the municipality under the guise of commissions; and that the mayor's spouse was directly involved in tender processes, personnel hiring, and staffing decisions," the statement said.
The simultaneous operations were carried out in Izmit, Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya and Kirikkale.
A detention order was issued for a total of 31 suspects, including Mayor Hurriyet and her husband, on charges of "establishing a criminal organization," "bribery" and "bid rigging," according to the prosecutor's office.
Those detained included Izmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hurriyet and her husband Murat Hurriyet, along with Omer Akin, Gokhan Ercan, Leyla Kiran, Seyhan Ozcan, Hamit Ilker Ulusoy, Nusret Omurhan Yilmaz, Figan Cetin, Burak Guresen, Engin Ertac, Mehmet Ersoylu, Hakan Oral, Irfan Can, Huseyin Demirkir, Ozlem Kirma Dalkic, Yusuf Kirici, Demet Isildak, Zekiye Kostekli Oral, Adem Ok, Kenan Yilmaz, Yasin Ok, Cetin Sarica, Ramazan Kirici, Yuksel Kirici, Cemil Celik, Nihat Onal and Selin Evren Ozoglu.
The current operation follows earlier detentions in recent days connected to the same investigation.
Duygu Cetiner, who served for many years as head of Mayor Hurriyet's private secretariat, Koral Altin, producer of the film "Leyla Hanim," former procurement director Mehmet Sevket Verit and the mayor's former personal driver Huseyin Ergul were previously detained.
Following processing at the police station and referral to the courthouse, Verit was formally arrested, while Ergul was released after giving his statement.
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