The teams searched the Avcılar Municipality building and the Avcılar Municipal Police Department early on Tuesday as part of the operation, which was launched over irregularities discovered in municipal licenses granted to workplaces. Nearly 30 people, including high-level municipal officials and deputy mayors as well as officers from the municipal police department, were detained on suspicion of bribery and tender rigging. Avcılar Municipal Police Department Chief Erdoğan Yerci was also among the detainees.
The detainees were taken to Haseki Research and Training Hospital for a medical checkup and then transferred to the İstanbul Police Department. Police also seized several documents and computers during the search. Cihan said a search of the municipality’s offices, which are run by the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was under way and that the number of detainees would increase.
Commenting on the operation, Avcılar Mayor Mustafa Değirmenci said he does not know why the police are searching the municipality’s offices. “I have no information about the searches. I do not know why you [reporters] are here. The police and the press are here. I am very surprised. I am going to enter the municipality building now and find out what is going on,” he told reporters as he arrived at the scene in the morning.
