Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar, who was arrested after the operations on July 5, applied to the Ministry of Justice to be transferred to his hometown Adana for trial.
Vahap Seçer, the Mayor of Mersin Metropolitan Municipality who took over the presidency of the Turkey Municipalities Union following Karalar’s arrest, visited the detained mayors in Silivri.
Following the visit, Seçer announced Karalar’s application to the Ministry of Justice to the press.
Seçer stated that Karalar wants to be transferred to Adana, saying, “He is also saying, ‘I am from Adana. Let me go to Adana. Let them face trial in Adana. Let me wait for the court process in prison in Adana. What business do I have in Silivri, Istanbul?”
Karalar was arrested as part of the corruption investigation against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Seçer pointed out that the accusations against Karalar date back to 2016, saying, “Mayor Zeydan has a special situation. As you know, the alleged crime attributed to him dates back to the 2016s. So, it actually has no connection to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality file today. The file related to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality alleges an organization. There was no such organization claim at that time.”
