Corruption Investigations Involving Veli Ağbaba's Nephew and Former Advisor Deepen

As part of a comprehensive corruption operation conducted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, close relatives of CHP Malatya Deputy Veli Ağbaba continue to be targeted. Most recently, Ağbaba’s nephew, Ahmet Can Ağbaba, was detained due to high-value and suspicious inflows and outflows detected in his accounts. Security units are conducting a detailed examination by expanding the investigation to determine the source and purpose of said financial movements. This development is considered a new phase in terms of deciphering the suspicious relationships around the deputy.

Deputy Veli Ağbaba had previously come to the agenda with similar legal processes and his name was involved in different investigations. In past periods, within the scope of a bribe investigation directed at the İzmir Seferihisar Municipality, Özlem Akyılmaz, Ağbaba’s chief advisor, was arrested and sent to prison. This incident was striking in that it showed that personnel in the deputy's close working team were also under legal pursuit. The arrest decision had caused wide repercussions in political circles at the time and signaled that investigations would deepen.

The detained advisor Özlem Akyılmaz, in her statement to the prosecutor's office, rejected the bribery accusations against her, claiming that the money transfers were based on a different reason. She alleged that the amount of 500 thousand liras credited to her account was not a bribe, but scholarship money sent to provide aid to students affected by the earthquake. However, the prosecutor's office questioned in detail through which channel and for what reason this money was sent and did not find Akyılmaz's explanations sufficient. This defense was met with suspicion by judicial authorities and was refuted in light of the evidence.

One of the most striking details in the investigation files was that the money in question was transferred to Veli Ağbaba’s personal account on the same day it entered Akyılmaz’s account. According to allegations, this rapid transfer was justified by Akyılmaz on the grounds that “bank limits were insufficient, necessitating the use of a credit card.” Although Akyılmaz defended that she informed the deputy later and claimed ignorance, the financial flow being this fast and not transparent raised suspicion. The tracking of the money flow in this way was reflected in the investigation records as an element strengthening the bribery allegations.

The scope of the current investigations was not limited to these events and also included allegations directed at the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. In this new category, Zuhal Böcek, the daughter-in-law of Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Muhittin Böcek, made a much graver accusation regarding Veli Ağbaba and his family in her statement. Zuhal Böcek reported the situation to the prosecutor's office claiming that through her husband, Gökhan Böcek, a request was made for 1 million euros in the name of CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. The evaluation of this request as political bribery and an intimidation attempt has magnified the dimensions of the incident and is currently causing public outrage.