34 Detained Including Cukurova Mayor in Bribery and Tender Manipulation Case

The Criminal Court of Appeal in Adana issued a decision yesterday to detain 34 of 49 suspects who appeared before it as part of an investigation conducted by Adana's public prosecutor's office. Among those detained are current Cukurova Mayor Amara Guzay and former Mayor Soner Setin, along with three deputy mayors. The remaining 15 were released under judicial supervision conditions, while two suspects against whom arrest warrants were issued remain at large.

The prosecutor's case is based on alleged facts including: manipulation of tenders and direct purchases, unlawful circumvention of exemptions stipulated in Article 3/z of Public Procurement Law No. 4734 through a municipal subsidiary company, and acceptance of bribes from contractors in exchange for releasing their payments, in addition to paying salaries to employees who never actually came to work.

A panel of three expert auditors conducted a comprehensive review of tender documents for the years 2024, 2025, and 2026. Their findings led to charges including "establishing, managing, and membership in a criminal organization," "bribery," "aggravated fraud," and "tender manipulation."

The arrest operation took place on October 19 after organized crime units of the regional gendarme command conducted raids targeting 51 suspects, initially detaining 44 individuals. The number later rose to 49 following the capture of five additional fugitives.