'Bribery’ operation in Bilecik

* Photo: Yavuz Emrah Sever / AA

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It is claimed that the executive board chair of an affiliate of the Bilecik Provincial Municipality introduced himself as the "advisor to the mayor" and was caught red-handed while receiving 200 thousand dollars as a bribe for the ongoing construction of a shopping mall in the city.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the teams of the Bilecik Security Directorate's Department of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime detected that a person (S.E.) who introduced himself as an "advisor to the mayor" of Bilecik, but who was actually the executive board chair of an affiliate of the municipality was asking for bribes from the ones who applied to him for building license fees and business follow-up.

As reported by the agency, it was detected that S.E. asked for 5 million Turkish Lira (TRY) to follow up the formalities regarding a shopping mall which is currently under construction in the province and having an approximate value of 42 million lira, but he accepted receiving 200 thousand dollars in cash and 130 thousand dollars against the bill.

An operation was carried out against the office of the suspect at the Bilecik Municipality, where the money exchange was to take place. Suspect S.E. was caught in an operation conducted while he was receiving the 200 thousand dollars with specified serial numbers.

The security teams have reportedly detected that the suspect asked for 400 thousand lira as a bribe from a person who wanted to have a building license. S.E. has been detained and taken to the police station.

About Bilecik Municipality At the last local elections in Turkey on March 31, 2019, Semih Şahin, the candidate of the Nation's Alliance from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was elected the Mayor of Bilecik province by receiving 50.6 percent of the votes.

(HA/SD)