Turkish gendarmes have detained Tanju Özcan, the mayor of Turkey’s northwestern Bolu province from the main opposition party, as part of an investigation into alleged extortion tied to dealings with supermarket chains, Turkish media reported Saturday.
The Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the probe targets 13 suspects, including Özcan and municipal officials, over allegations that public authority was used to pressure private sector managers for improper benefit. Turkish media reported that nine suspects were detained and that efforts were underway to locate four others.
Gendarmerie teams detained Özcan at his home and searched the residence.
The allegations focus on the period from April through November 2024 and center on claims that managers from several supermarket brands were pressured in a way that prosecutors say benefited the Bolu Municipality Joint Stock Company, a municipality-linked entity. The supermarkets named in Turkish media reports include ŞOK, A101, BİM, CarrefourSA, Avantaj and Nuhmar.
Özcan said on social media that he was detained by the gendarmerie and suggested the case was linked to scholarships for students in his hometown.
“I was detained because thousands of students were given scholarships [by the municipality],” he wrote, adding that he viewed it as an honor.
His lawyer, Ferit Atalay, said the detention was based on complaints by a group of chain market operators and an allegation of “irregular cash inflow” connected to a foundation set up to support students. Atalay said the foundation was created to fund the education of 528 students and claimed it is subject to oversight, with documented transactions. He described the accusations as unfounded and aimed at discrediting the mayor.
The detentions are the latest in a series of investigations in Turkey that have targeted opposition-run municipalities.
According to a report by the main opposition Republican People’s Party, 16 CHP mayors are jailed and 13 municipalities have been put under government-appointed trustees since the party’s sweeping victory in the March 2024 local elections. The party describes the prosecutions as a “judicial coup” aimed at reversing its gains.