The procedures at the police station for 25 suspects who were detained within the scope of the investigation initiated by the Smuggling and Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau, under the coordination of the Eskişehir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, on the charges of “qualified embezzlement by chain”, “forgery of documents”, “opposition to the Tax Procedure Law No. 213”, “laundering of assets arising from crime” and “abuse of office” upon notices and complaints, were completed.

Among them are deputy mayors SY and B.Ç. and Tepebaşı Mayor Ahmet Ataç’s private secretary Ö.E. were brought to the courthouse.

Police teams took extensive security measures in front of the courthouse during the transfer of the suspects. Following the prosecutor’s interrogations, 25 suspects were referred to the criminal judgeship of peace on duty.

Among the suspects, Deputy Mayor SY, Chief of Staff Ö.E., Ö.E. during the operation. DG and CT, CAA, EC, FBA, FT, M.Ç, OM, Ö.E, SU, Ş.Y, TG and TMY, who were among the administrators working in the municipality, were arrested.

It was decided to release 10 suspects, including Deputy Mayor B.Ç., under judicial control measures.

It was learned that within the scope of the operation, many invoices related to events and food organizations organized by Tepebaşı Municipality Culture, Art and Social Affairs Directorate were examined.

It was claimed that the suspects invoiced the meals prepared and distributed to the needy with the support of donors in the municipality’s soup kitchen, pretending to have procured them from the companies they had an agreement with, and made payments to the companies, and after collecting the invoice fees, the companies gave them to the municipal administrators in cash.

It was claimed that some municipal officials had family relatives open a “signboard” company using this method and received payment for this from the catering companies. It was claimed that the suspects increased the invoiced fees by increasing the number of participants in events organized by the municipality and gained unfair profits by this method.

It was claimed that the municipality officials wrote offers for direct procurement on behalf of the owners of the restaurants and organization companies operating in the city, without their knowledge. It was learned that the owners of the restaurants and organization companies whose information was consulted stated that the signatures on the offers did not belong to them.

Signature samples were taken from company officials and compared with the signatures on the offer documents at the Forensic Medicine Institute, and it was learned that the signatures thought to belong to the companies in the offer letters were fake.

A DETENTION ORDER WAS MADE FOR 60 SUSPECTS

In the operation carried out on May 14 in Eskişehir and Ankara and Adana, detention orders were given for 60 suspects, 33 of whom were from Tepebaşı Municipality.

During the operation, 23 suspects, including Deputy Mayor SY and Mayor Ahmet Ataç’s private secretary Ö.E, were detained.

It was learned that 35 people’s statements were taken at the police station within the scope of the investigation.

During the continuation of the operation, deputy mayor B.Ç. With the capture of one more suspect, the number of detentions increased to 25. During the search carried out by the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch teams of the Provincial Police Department in the garden of Ö.E’s residence in Keskin District, a room hidden under the ground was detected.

During the search in the room, 9 customs-smuggled “coin (cryptocurrency) mining” devices belonging to Ö.E. were seized.

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek stated in his message that the War of Independence, which started with Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s arrival in Samsun on May 19, 1919, was the first step of the blessed march to the independent and sovereign Republic of Turkey and one of the most important turning points in history.

Stating that the torch of independence lit a century ago repelled the imperialist occupations with the perseverance and determination of the nation and illuminated the path to independence, Gürlek emphasized that today the goal is “to carry the ideal of a fully independent and strong Turkey to the future together with the TEKNOFEST generation with a free mind and a free conscience.”

“WE WILL CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY TO THE GREAT AND POWERFUL Türkiye WITH DETERMINATION”

Gürlek included the following statements in his message:

“On this meaningful day, I commemorate all the heroes of the War of Independence, our martyrs and veterans, especially Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, with mercy and gratitude. I congratulate our beloved youth and our beloved nation on the 19 May Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day. Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we will continue our journey towards a great and powerful Türkiye with determination.”

Our national struggle, which started with Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s arrival in Samsun on May 19, 1919, was the first step of our blessed march to the independent and sovereign Republic of Turkey and one of the most important turning points in our history.

That torch of independence lit a century ago… pic.twitter.com/Hi0PHb9N5D

— Akın Gürlek (@abakingurlek) May 18, 2026

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated that Türkiye has a significant influence in conflict zones and said, “It is extremely important for Germany to be in close consultation with Turkey on these issues. Germany attaches importance to the expansion of strategic relations between Turkey and the EU. If Turkey wants to become an EU member, Germany will be a reliable partner.”

Drawing attention to the far-reaching consequences of the war in Iran and the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, Wadephul said, “Today, many people are suffering in many parts of the world. The consequences are getting worse every day. Europe is ready to contribute to ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz. Together with the countries of the region, we will determine how to protect our security, economic and energy interests regarding this conflict. I am in very close contact with the countries of the region on this issue.”

Wadephul thanked Türkiye for its efforts to resolve the crises in the Iranian context. “We all agree that Iran should no longer pose a threat to its neighbors in the future. Therefore, Iran should not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. Iran should end its extensive missile program and policy of provocation in the region and make the Strait of Hormuz free and open to the passage of ships again,” Wadephul said.

“WE ARE FOR A TWO-STATE SOLUTION LIKE Türkiye”

Emphasizing that Turkey and Germany have the same concerns regarding Gaza, Wadephul said, “We are following different paths at some points, which is not a problem, but our goal is the same. We support the two-state solution as a solution to the problem between Israel and the Palestinians. We are also concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and we think more should be done there.”

Wadephul said, “People in the Gaza Strip are suffering. They need to have access to humanitarian supplies, including the supply of medicine. Opportunities must be created to send more humanitarian aid supplies to the Gaza Strip, and this must be done by road. We must do this right now. Although we have to manage many crises at the same time, we must not take our eyes off the Gaza Strip and the situation of the suffering people.”

While harshly criticizing Israel’s intervention in the Global Sumud Flotilla, Wadephul said, “At the same time, I must say that we recommend that actions such as the Gaza Flotilla be avoided. Because they are dangerous for the participants and so far, none of these ships have actually reached the Gaza Strip and aid supplies have not arrived. Therefore, these dangers are too great for us and we avoid them. However, this does not prevent us from agreeing that humanitarian aid should reach.”

“WE ARE GRATEFUL TO TURKEY FOR ITS RUSSIA-UKRAINE NEGOTIATION EFFORTS”

Noting that the biggest threat to Europe’s security is Russia’s war against Ukraine, Wadephul said, “Turkey has repeatedly stated that it is ready to be a mediator between Ukraine and Russia on this issue. Meetings were held in Istanbul and Turkey had previously played an active role in the negotiations and the grain agreement. We are very grateful for this.”

“We can only approach the end of this terrible war when Russia is finally ready to negotiate directly with Ukraine. Europeans have already begun to take a constructive and active role. We are ready, but Russia needs to be ready to negotiate seriously. It will be in the interest of the Russian people, who are suffering more and more from the consequences of the war, and the Russian economy, which is rapidly collapsing, to end this war,” Wadephul said.

Referring to the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara, Wadephul said, “Turkey impressively demonstrates that it assumes responsibility in these tense environments. The NATO Summit in Ankara in July puts Türkiye in a key position to further strengthen the alliance.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan shared a post on his Nsocial account about his contacts in Germany, where he paid an official visit.

Minister Fidan stated that following the Strategic Partnership Framework Document signed between Türkiye and the UK in April, the Third Meeting of the Türkiye-Germany Strategic Dialogue Mechanism was held in Berlin today.

Pointing out that the previous meeting was held 12 years ago, Fidan stated that this meeting revealed the common will of the two countries to further their strategic cooperation.

Fidan stated that bilateral relations were discussed comprehensively in his meetings with German officials, especially German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.

Stating that they will continue to deepen their cooperation in areas such as defense industry, economy, energy and connectivity with concrete projects and mutual investments, Fidan said, “We emphasized once again that the Turkish community in Germany is an important bridge that strengthens the human, cultural and economic basis of our relations, and the importance of preserving these ties.” he said.

Fidan pointed out that they also discussed regional and global developments during the meetings and said, “We exchanged views on current issues, especially the preparations for the NATO Summit to be held in Ankara, European security, developments regarding the Russia-Ukraine War, the war between Iran and the USA and Israel, and the situation in Gaza. We emphasized the importance of resolving the current crises through diplomatic means.” He included his statements.

Stating that the multidimensional partnership between Turkey and Germany is of great importance for the stability and prosperity of Europe, Fidan said, “We will continue our close coordination and cooperation with our ally Germany on bilateral, regional and international issues with determination.” he said.

Within the scope of the investigation that shook the CHP’s Tepebaşı Municipality, 25 suspects, including the municipal administrators and the Private Secretary of Tepebaşı Mayor Ahmet Ataç, were sent to the courthouse after their procedures at the police station. While the huge operation, in which there were detention orders for a total of 60 people, grew in waves, AK Party Eskişehir Provincial Chairman Gürhan Albayrak received a slap-like response to CHP Provincial Chairman Talat Yalaz, who was trying to cover up the facts. Albayrak exposed the profiteering scheme established in the municipality one by one and called on Mayor Ahmet Ataç to resign immediately.

“THE WALLS OF PERCEPTION THEY HAVE BUILT ARE BEING SHATTERED”

AK Party Provincial Chairman Gürhan Albayrak, who described the CHP’s provincial chairman’s attempt to use the judicial processes as a material for political heroism as “exemplary”, emphasized that the deceit of those who have been governing the city through front companies and dubious relations for years has been revealed. Albayrak used the following harsh expressions in his written statement:

“While allegations based on soup kitchen meals cooked for the benefit of the nation are being discussed, fake signature reports are evident, front companies and million-dollar money traffic are being investigated, no one should come out and give us ‘law’ and ‘victimhood’ speeches. They thought that the untouchable order they had created in Eskişehir for years would never be disrupted. They saw the city’s resources as the privileged area of ​​their circle. But now the showcase they established is being shattered.”

4 HARD QUESTIONS TO CHP’S INSINCERITY!

Albayrak stated that the CHP administration remained silent while the rights of the people of Eskişehir were being violated, but when it touched them, they jumped into the squares and asked the following questions to CHP Provincial Chairman Yalaz:

Where were you when the Wealth System was Established?: Where were you when those living in luxury villas and those who allegedly established a wealth system with the municipal power left Eskişehir abandoned?

Why Didn’t You Speak Out While Watching the Soup Kitchen Bites?: While allegations of irregularities worth millions of lira were being made over the soup kitchen morsel that would pass down the throat of the poor person, to whom was that “square” entrusted?

Who was the owner of Eskişehir when the personnel were being kicked out?: While allegations of fake signatures were being talked about in the municipal corridors and the personnel who wanted to warn were being kicked out by security, who was the “owner” of Eskişehir?

Don’t Allegations of Black Money Pain Your Conscience?: Are you disturbed by the images in front of the courthouse, but do the allegations of chain embezzlement, forgery of documents, MASAK reports and money laundering in the files not pain your conscience at all?

“AHMET ATAÇ MUST RESIGN IMMEDIATELY!”

Stating that what happened was not a political perception operation, but a struggle to protect the orphan’s livelihood and public resources, Albayrak also called for CHP’s Tepebaşı Mayor Ahmet Ataç to resign.

Albayrak said, “What needs to be done today is not to create arrogance, but to come out and be accountable to the public. Ahmet Ataç, who has been managing this municipality for more than 20 years, is now under this heavy political and conscientious responsibility. He should resign immediately in the face of these scandals and the point reached,” and stated that they will continue to defend the rights of the people of Eskişehir until the end.

Breaking news: The Cabinet Meeting held at the Presidential Complex under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has ended. Erdoğan made statements after the critical meeting where important issues were discussed.

Highlights from President Erdoğan’s speech:

We have completed another Cabinet Meeting where we evaluated the issues on our country’s agenda. May God have mercy on our 6 citizens who lost their lives in Mersin, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured.

We are faced with a multi-layered uncertainty where inflation is climbing in many countries of the world and the blockage in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be overcome. The extent of the destruction caused by this shock wave cannot be estimated.

A handful of wild capitalists who control the hot money are growing stronger and adding to their wealth by literally grabbing the bite from the throats of billions of people. Their account books are growing every day. Every war produces its own economy.

Every war has winners and losers. With the Iran war, this issue has exceeded the limits of tolerance. Behind the unresolved crises in many parts of the world are major sabotage attempts by those who benefit from the crisis.

Important statements from President Erdoğan!

HARD REACTION TO THE OPPOSITION

The opposition has exploited the process for its political interests. They could not save themselves from acting with the logic of ‘Let the government wear out and Türkiye lose if necessary’. The opposition is pursuing cheap politics.

At a time when our region is going through a ring of fire, the opposition has to act as sensitively as we do.

No matter which wing of the political spectrum we are on, we have to act with the principle of my country first.

As our world becomes global, opportunities also gain a global dimension… In the new world, no one has to remain indifferent to what is happening elsewhere on the earth.

Türkiye has become the island of stability in its region. Our country will continue on its way much stronger than before.

“A NEW ROAD WILL OPEN FOR Türkiye”

Once we get rid of the shackles of terrorism, a new path will open for Türkiye. There will be no coming back from this.