Esenyurt bribery case: officials caught with empty suitcases near Küçükçekmece safes
Two steel safes were seized following the confession of Parks and Gardens Director Doğancıoğlu, while the mother and cousin of Deputy Mayor Ulutaş were apprehended at the scene with empty suitcases.
The Esenyurt investigation has yielded a new confession: Parks and Gardens Director İbrahim Doğancıoğlu, in a supplementary statement submitted to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to benefit from effective remorse provisions, admitted that he rented an apartment in Küçükçekmece under the name of a friend and, on the instructions of Deputy Mayor Yusuf Ulutaş, placed two black steel safes inside.
When security forces raided the address, the apartment was completely empty and locked; search teams found the safes in the location Doğancıoğlu had described. The safes contained a substantial amount of foreign currency.
At the same time, Ulutaş's mother Ayşe Ulutaş and his cousin Mustafa Zahit Seval entered through the door with two empty suitcases and apartment keys in hand. Both were taken into custody; the keys reportedly opened the safes.
The case began in October 2024: at that time, CHP-affiliated Mayor Ahmet Özer was removed from office and replaced with an appointed administrator, and nine people, including Ulutaş, were arrested. Doğancıoğlu's confession places Ulutaş at the center of the bribery scheme. The investigation is ongoing.
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- PrimarySözcü Gazetesi