Sinem Dedetaş, the mayor of Üsküdar Municipality in Türkiye, and five other people have been detained as part of an investigation into alleged bribery and corruption, the Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement, APA reports.
According to the statement, the investigation was launched based on complaints alleging irregularities in the issuance of construction and occupancy permits at Üsküdar Municipality, testimonies from victims, and statements by suspects cooperating with the investigation.
The Prosecutor's Office claims that employees of Kent A.Ş., a company outside the municipality's authority, coordinated through an encrypted communication application to interfere in the process of issuing construction permits.
According to the investigation file, numerous consultancy service contracts with a total value of 1,078,870,833 Turkish liras were signed between Kent A.Ş. and contractor companies, and 361,392,264 Turkish liras has so far been paid under these contracts. It was stated that these findings were established through reports by Türkiye's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and other evidence.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, construction companies were forced to sign contracts with Kent A.Ş. in order to obtain construction permits, bribes were accepted in exchange for issuing occupancy permits in violation of the law, and some of the payments were transferred in installments to the mayor's adviser, identified by the initials U.M.
As part of the investigation, simultaneous operations were carried out at 11 locations in Istanbul. During the operation, Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş, the deputy mayor, the head of the private secretariat, an architect, a construction supervisor, and a contractor were detained.
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