Corruption Operation in Istanbul

Fiscal and Organized Crime Departments of Istanbul Police raided several apartments, detaining 37 suspects within an operation against corruption. 

Among the detainees included Abdullah Oğuz Bayraktar (son of Environment and Urbanization Minister), Barış Güler (son of Interior Minister) and Salih Kağan Çağlayan (son of Economy Minister). 

Special attaches of Economy Minister M.B.K and O.K, Environment and Urbanization Minister’s main advisor S.S. and Environment and Urbanization Ministry General Manager M.A.K. were also listen among notable detainees. 

Supervised by Istanbul Prosecutor Zekeriya Öz and  Celal Kara, the investigation is said to have been underway for a year. 

5 detainees in Ankara will be transferred to Istanbul for further procedures. 

Fatih District Mayor 

Following the detentions, Interior Minister Muammer Güler cancelled its program in Sofia, Bulgaria wher he was expected to sign protocols between Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria on a series of custom and border control cooperations.  

Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan also cancelled his daily program where he would attend a protocol signature ceremony with Family and Social Policies Minister on the transfer of a social facility to Family and Social Policies Ministry. 

Fatih mayor Mustafa Demir was also listed among the detainees’ list. 

Ali Ağaoğlu detained 

Construction mogul Ali Ağaoğlu, Halk Bank General Manager Süleyman Aslan and businessman Reza Zarrab were also detained. 

“Ali Ağaoğlu wasn’t detained but was escorted to police department for his information,” Ağaoğlu Grup COE Hasan Rahvali  claimed initially. 

Later on, it turned out that Ağaoğlu’s detention procedures were completed.  was actually detained. “The investigation is underway, so I can’t make a statement,” Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu said. 

Accusations 

According to Radikal newspaper, the investigation is said to have been underway for a year. Some of the charges that suspects are facing are as follows: fraud documents, illegal money transfers and bribery through minister sons to non-Turkish nationals, bribery through Minister Bayraktar’s son, construction corruptions through ministry officials, gain corruptions, illegal opening of properties to construction, illegal opening of SIT properties to construction within the borders of Fatih Municipality, approving construction permits despite the risk of damaging Marmaray project. (AS/BM)