Dawn raid on opposition-led municipalities in Turkey’s Adana: 58 detained

olice in Adana province conducted a surprise operation at Seyhan and Cukurova municipalities on Friday on charges of 'bribery, forgery of official documents, and zoning corruption,' and took 58 individuals into custody, Turkish media said.

Seyhan Municipality Deputy Mayor, zoning directors, former Deputy Mayor of Cukurova Municipality Ali A., former zoning director Hasan U., and numerous municipal employees were detained following the operation.

Turkey’s OdaTV web site spoke to Mustafa Cinkılıc, an attorney from Seyhan Municipality and other sources from Cukurova Municipality, regarding the operation.

Attorney Mustafa Cinkılıç stated that the file related to the operation was opened in 2022,

"Preparations were made for approximately one year, resulting in an operation involving many individuals, including directors working at Seyhan and Cukurova municipalities. While it's not certain, we have learned that an investigation has been initiated against nearly 100 individuals. According to the information we obtained, about 8-10 months ago, documents were requested from 15 contractors, and now, everyone with signatures on those documents is being taken into custody. Building inspection personnel, zoning directors, and numerous officials have been apprehended. We have not been contacted as lawyers yet. Politicians may provide their interpretations, but it's noteworthy that the operation coincides with the election period, following a year-long preparation," he added.

Sources from Cukurova Municipality, in their statement to Odatv, mentioned that they currently lack detailed information about the operation's specifics. They stated that documents were being examined by the teams during the operation at the municipality. The sources also noted that lawyers were at the police station, and further statements might be made in the coming hours.