Istanbul prosecutors seize Böcek family assets in TL 195 million Antalya bribery case
Istanbul's Chief Prosecutor's Office has ordered the seizure of all assets belonging to former Antalya mayor Muhittin Böcek of the opposition CHP, his son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek and daughter-in-law Zuhal Böcek, who was detained on April 30 on money laundering charges. Böcek and his son are accused of taking TL 195 million ($4.31 million) in bribes from companies seeking municipal construction permits, and of laundering the proceeds through jewellery stores and currency exchanges. The case has expanded into a parallel Istanbul corruption probe in which former Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and dozens of municipal bureaucrats and businesspeople were arrested last year.
The Chief Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul has ordered the seizure of all assets belonging to former Antalya mayor Muhittin Böcek, elected from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and arrested last year on corruption charges, along with the assets of his son Mustafa Gökhan Böcek and his daughter-in-law Zuhal Böcek. Zuhal Böcek was detained on April 30 on money laundering charges.
Böcek and his son are accused of taking TL 195 million ($4.31 million) in bribes from companies and businesspeople seeking to do business with the municipality of Antalya, the city at the heart of Türkiye's Mediterranean riviera, in particular for permits covering construction and related works. They are also accused of laundering the proceeds through jewellery stores and currency exchanges.
The Antalya investigation has expanded into a separate Istanbul corruption case in which former Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu — also of the CHP — and dozens of municipal bureaucrats and businesspeople were arrested last year. After Böcek's own arrest, prosecutors broadened the file over the following months through a series of coordinated police operations targeting further suspects connected to the Antalya municipality, including businesspeople and municipal officials.