Türkiye’s Interior Ministry on Monday suspended Milas Mayor Fevzi Topuz from office, three days after a court in Muğla ordered him held in custody pending trial in a municipal tender investigation.
The ministry described the step as a temporary measure taken under Article 127 of the Constitution and Article 47 of Municipal Law No. 5393, NTV and Muğla Gazetesi reported. Article 127 allows the interior minister to temporarily remove elected local officials who are under investigation or prosecution for offences linked to their duties. The suspension is not a conviction, and the criminal case continues separately.
Topuz, who was elected on the ticket of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was ordered held in custody by the Muğla Criminal Judgeship of Peace on 23 October. According to the ministry statement, the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating him on suspicion of forming an organisation to commit crimes, forgery of official documents by a public official and bribery. The case is still at the investigation stage, and none of the allegations has been tested at trial.
Background to the probe
The investigation began with police raids in 13 provinces on 20 October, in which the mayor, his son and dozens of others were detained. Investigators are examining allegedly forged tender documents and work-experience certificates. A court later jailed 18 suspects pending trial, including the mayor and his son, placed two under house arrest and released 15 under judicial control.
What happens next for Milas
İstiklal reported that an acting mayor will be appointed under the procedures of the Municipal Law. None of the reports published by Monday evening named who will run the municipality in the meantime, or when.
Milas is one of Muğla province’s largest districts by area. It is home to Bodrum-Milas Airport and borders Bodrum, where many foreigners own holiday homes. Municipal services such as building permits, zoning and local fees are run by the district municipality, so residents and property owners may see changes in who signs off on decisions while the suspension lasts. Water and sewer services in the district are run by the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality’s utility MUSKİ, which recently completed a sewer network in Milas’s Ören.
For an overview of the area next door, see our guide to living in Bodrum.
Sources
- Tutuklanan Milas Belediye Başkanı Fevzi Topuz görevden uzaklaştırıldı (NTV)
- Milas Belediye Başkanı Fevzi Topuz görevden uzaklaştırıldı (Muğla Gazetesi)
- Milas Belediye Başkanı Fevzi Topuz görevden uzaklaştırıldı! Bakanlık açıkladı (İstiklal)
Photo: Gargarapalvin / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
