Within the scope of the investigation initiated upon the notice of the Civil Inspection Board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated 24 May 2024, Mayor Tanju Özcan and his Deputy Süleyman Can were arrested and sent to prison by the Bolu 2nd Criminal Judgeship of Peace on 2 March. The accusations against the suspects in the 178-page indictment include ‘extortion by force, bribery, qualified fraud and violation of the Law on Foundations and Associations No. 5072’.

STATEMENTS OF MUNICIPAL COUNCIL MEMBER ALİ SARIYILDIZ CHANGED THE COURSE OF THE FILE

Among the most important evidence of the investigation file was the “confessional” statement given by detained Municipal Council Member Ali Sarıyıldız in prison on April 13, 2026. In his statement, Sarıyıldız stated that pressure was put on chain markets to make advertising contracts, donations were systematically requested from tenderers, millions of liras of cash were received by hand, and the organization of sacrifice donations was carried out under the instructions of Mayor Özcan.

CLAIM: “THE MARKETS THAT DID NOT SIGN THE CONTRACT WERE SEALED”

According to the information in the indictment; President Tanju Özcan, Süleyman Can and Bolu Bel A.Ş. The authorities forced the chain markets to make advertising contracts with the municipal subsidiary. It was claimed that some markets signed these contracts, but those who rejected the offer were subjected to non-routine inspections, their workplaces were sealed and they were banned from trading.

ALLEGATION OF MILLION PROFIT IN EXCHANGE FOR LICENSE AND PROGRESS

According to the allegations in the file, 2 million 500 thousand TL was requested from a contractor operating in Bolu in return for the license procedures in the municipality. The complainant, who was pressured by Mayor Özcan by saying “You have to help”, gave 1 million TL in cash to Council Member Sarıyıldız and 1.5 million TL in cheque to BOLSEV A.Ş. It was determined that the money was transferred to their accounts. After the investigations were opened, it was determined that these money were sent back to the complainant with the explanations of “advance and debt refund”. It was claimed that a similar situation occurred in the 100th Year Republic Park tender, and that the contractor was forced to provide 10 million TL “aid” to the BOLSEV Foundation in order to receive progress payments on time, and 2.5 million TL was deducted from the progress payments.

An investigation was launched against CHP member Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested on March 23, 2025, as part of the corruption investigation, for espionage. In the digital materials examined by Hüseyin Gün, who was arrested for espionage, an arrest warrant was issued for Ekrem İmamoğlu, Necati Özkan and TELE1 founder Merdan Yanardağ for cooperating in the 2019 local election campaign and leaking confidential information about voters.

With the indictment prepared within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, imprisonment of İmamoğlu, Hüseyin Gün, Necati Özkan and Merdan Yanardağ was requested from 15 to 20 years each. After the prepared indictment was accepted by the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court, the case continues to be heard in the courtroom opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Institution by the Istanbul 25th High Criminal Court. On the 3rd day of the trial, the hearing prosecutor announced his opinion.

IT WAS REQUESTED TO DECIDE TO CONTINUE THEIR DETENTION

In its interim opinion, the prosecutor’s office said; requesting the used and relevant server providers, determining the user IP records that provide access to the IMM extension systems, determining which user accounts were logged in through the said addresses together with the access date and time information, requesting log records accordingly, determining whether the e-mail addresses in the visuals in the indictment are real or not, regarding the IP addresses used and user information belonging to the IMM obtained from the Presidency, MIT and TEM Branch Directorates and the Information Technologies and Communications Authority, Determination of whether the people mentioned in the e-mails were working at IMM on the dates of the crime, determination of user IP records, access time stamps, e-mail session records and security log records accessing the IMM and GOV.TR extension systems, determination of whether there is a connection to the mail server, VPN, active directory, remote access systems or other corporate systems connected to the IBB GOV.TR extension systems through the relevant e-mail accounts, detection of unauthorized data leakage or account takeover by examining the log records, requesting the incoming raw data to be organized and turned into a report, requesting an opinion on whether the information and documents included in the indictment and digital examination reports of the defendants are information that should remain confidential due to their nature in terms of the security of the state or domestic or foreign political benefits, establishing a procedure for hearing witnesses, deciding to reject the requests of the defendants and defendants’ defense counsel as it is understood that they will not contribute to the file, finding concrete evidence showing a strong suspicion of crime in terms of the crime charged against the defendants, the nature of the crime charged, the punishment prescribed by law. It was requested and discussed on behalf of the public that the period of detention is measured according to the lower and upper limits, the period of detention and the amount of punishment prescribed by law for the crime charged, that the evidence collection procedures have not yet been completed, and that the judicial controls will not be sufficient at this stage.

A process has been initiated for the restoration of the historical Ani Bridge, located on the Arpaçay River between Türkiye and Armenia, in the Ani Ruins, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, through joint restoration. The Ani Bridge, which will be rebuilt, stands out as one of the symbols of trade and cultural interaction between civilizations with its strategic location on the Silk Road. The signing of the memorandum of understanding on the joint restoration of the Ani Bridge by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on May 4 excited the local people and historians. 11-12 in the region. The bridge, which is thought to have been built as a two-storey building in the 19th century, lies collapsed over the Arpaçay River separating the Türkiye-Armenia border. Despite the wars, occupations and earthquakes it has suffered for centuries, Ani is an important archaeological site in terms of world history with its architectural ruins from different civilizations. The restoration of the bridge is also important for tourism.

He spoke at the Presidents’ Meeting: I would like to thank all party members who work with the motto “Service to the public is service to God” in 81 provinces of Türkiye. I would like to express once again how happy I feel to be the Chairman of such an organization that has no other purpose than service for its country and nation. He enjoys the rightful honor of being a member of such a movement with a white name, a white reputation, and a clean record in the face of the corruption that erupts from left and right; I congratulate you for not adding the slightest stain to our cause. We are walking determinedly on this blessed path with the blessings of our nation.
As you know, this year we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of our party. We have been walking with determination on this blessed path, which we set out on August 14, 2001, with the claim that “Nothing will ever be the same again”, with the support and blessings of our beloved nation for 25 years. Despite many attacks targeting our party, we gave our back first to God and then to the people; We have come to this day without deviating from the direction drawn by the nation. Thank God, we have been working day and night for 25 years without disappointing the hope of our beloved nation, with the understanding of the heavy responsibility it has placed on us. We intend to evaluate the 25th anniversary of its founding in accordance with its importance and meaning for both our party and our struggle for democracy and development, and the exceptional position it represents in our history. On the one hand, we will remember our 25 years of service and work policy every day, every moment, and on the other hand, we will put forward the vision of the second quarter century in which we will achieve greater success. We will also take care of ourselves, identify where we have shortcomings and mistakes, and make self-criticism boldly without getting caught up in any complexes.

As I always say; We will mind our business and look ahead. Guided by our 25 years of experience, we will focus on determining the road map of what kind of Türkiye we want to see in the next 25 years. I expect each of you to approach our 25th anniversary events, which we will celebrate with great pride, with this understanding. We, as the AK Party; We are a political movement whose sole goal, aim and purpose is to serve and produce services for the nation and the country.

AK PARTY BADGE FOR BURCU KÖKSAL

WELCOME, YOU HAVE ENJOYMENT
After his speech, Erdoğan pinned the party badges on Afyonkarahisar Mayor Burcu Köksal, Dinar Mayor Veysel Topçu and the municipal council members, who resigned from CHP and joined the AK Party. Wishing that the new participants will be beneficial to the party and the country, President Erdoğan said, “I say ‘Welcome to us, you have brought joy to our Afyonkarahisar and Dinar Mayors and municipal council members, who will continue their struggle to serve Türkiye under the umbrella of the AK Party from today onwards.'”

SEND FROM KÖKSAL TO ÖZEL
Burcu Köksal, whose badge was worn, made her first speech at the AK Party podium. Köksal said, “I will walk on the same path with those who believe in the sanctity of the family and respect the values ​​of society.”

OUR DOOR IS OPEN TO EVERYONE WHO THINKS ABOUT TURKEY

In 25 years, we have never allowed the AK Party’s position as the center of Turkish politics to be undermined. Regardless of lifestyle, origin, disposition or sect; We opened our doors wide to everyone who thinks Türkiye-centered and embraces our principles. Today, we continue to do politics along the same lines. Just as we embrace each of our 81 provinces without any discrimination; We add those who want to serve their country and nation to our ranks with the same feelings.

WE CANNOT TURN OUR BACK ON THE TURKISH DIASPORA

What is the difference between our more than 7 million brothers and sisters abroad and our 86 million citizens living in our country? We cannot turn our backs on the Turkish diaspora just because the opposition wants it that way. We will continue to embrace our citizens, whether in our country or abroad.

CHP’S DIRTY POLITICS CANNOT TAKE US AWAY

The dirty politics of the CHP administration, which has lost its balance, cannot stop us from our dirty path. In the light of the experiences of 25 years, we will strive to shape a vision that will shape the next quarter century of Türkiye and Turkish democracy and a new vision that will instill hope in the nation. We will not allow those who have no business with service, plans, projects, horizons and vision to occupy us with their own shallow agendas.

LEAVE THE TABER JARGON

Political style is the mirror of the person. The capacity gap in politics cannot be closed by attacking this and that, insulting this and that with the tavern jargon. The CHP administration should have stopped mocking the minds of the citizens and should have devoted the energy it spent on creating slander and discord to confronting its own mistakes.

YOU PLAYED YOUR LIVES ON JULY 15

You played a great role in crowning the War of Independence with victory and defeating the July 15 treason. I would like to express my gratitude to our farmers who set tractor tires on fire on the night of July 15, flocked to the squares and defended the national will at the expense of their lives.

We will create new channels for 400 thousand farmers to market their products and bring new employment opportunities to 250 thousand citizens.

We will create a loan volume of approximately 500 million dollars for our farmers who have problems accessing credit and engage in primary production.

We will provide financing opportunities up to 10 million dollars to our agricultural enterprises with a grace period of 24 months and a maturity of up to 7 years, depending on the project size.

This year, we increased the project limit amount to receive support. We will donate 50 to 70 percent of the amount for projects ranging from 100 thousand lira to 30 million lira.

President Erdoğan spoke at the 14 May World Farmers’ Day Program held at Beştepe Nation Congress and Culture Center. Highlights from Erdoğan’s speech, where he announced good news to farmers: I congratulate the World Farmers Day of all farmers in 81 provinces who irrigate their lands with the sweat of their brows, blend the crops with their labor, and add strength to Türkiye’s power and abundance to its tables with their production.

We hope to implement a system in which the labor of our valued farmers, who are the main artery of the agricultural sector, will not be wasted, they will not experience marketing problems, and their products will be processed in the right place and in the right industrial facility. This year, we are launching the Transformation Project of the Turkish Agricultural Food Sector for Employment and Rural Welfare, which will be implemented through our Ministry and with the resources provided by the World Bank. With the project, we will facilitate access to finance for entrepreneurs who want to invest in agriculture and food. We will provide repayment financing and credit guarantee system support up to 80 percent of the investment amount. We will provide our businesses with financing opportunities of up to 10 million dollars, with a maturity of up to 7 years, with a grace period of 24 months, and depending on the size of the project.

This financial support will be given to facility construction and machinery and equipment investments in the field of agriculture and food. We are making the first 750 million dollars of this 5.3 billion dollar financing package, which we planned for 10 years, available to our entrepreneurs in 2026. Again, within the scope of this project, we will create a loan volume of approximately 500 million dollars for our farmers who have problems accessing credit and engage in primary production, with the mechanism that will include the Credit Guarantee Fund. Thus, we will create new channels for 400 thousand farmers to market their products and bring new employment opportunities to 250 thousand citizens. I hope that the Transformation Project of the Turkish Agricultural Food Sector for Employment and Rural Welfare will be beneficial to our farmers, producers and Turkish agriculture.

Two prosecutors assigned to solve unsolved murders and identify the perpetrators continue their work in coordination by meeting with JASAT (Gendarmerie Crime Investigation Team) and police teams. While JASAT and the police continue their work to detect new evidence with advanced technological means, it is stated that they are trying to identify the perpetrators like ‘digging a well with a needle’ in terms of both justice and public order.

THE ROLE FOLLOWED IN GULISTAN WILL BE AN EXAMPLE

It was learned that among the files there were also murder files that had not been solved for 10-15 years. It was stated that the path followed in Gülistan Doku will provide significant support to the work of the teams in the work to be done on the files. It is stated that the path followed by Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor Ebru Cansu, who solved the case of Gülistan Doku, will shed light on the unsolved perpetrators.

INVESTIGATIONS ARE CONDUCTED SECRETLY

On the other hand, JASAT and the police are carrying out investigations confidentially, under the coordination of prosecutors, in order to shed light on murder cases that have remained unsolved for years.