Buca Mayor Görkem Duman Sent to Prison in Turkey Corruption Probe

A corruption investigation coordinated by the İzmir Chief Prosecutor's Office led to a nationwide raid on 1 June that detained 54 people, including municipal officials, contractors and firm owners. Among those arrested were Buca Mayor Görkem Duman, former mayor Erhan Kılıç and former CHP district chair Çağdaş Kaya. A court later ordered their detention, sending Duman and several others to prison.

An expert report linked the case to illegal villa construction in Buca’s Doğancılar neighbourhood after a forest fire on 18 September 2023. Five villas were built on parcel 122‑18 despite a “building suspension” issued on 2 October 2023, and construction continued unchecked. On 1 August 2024 the municipality approved a “ghost building” under a temporary zoning provision, allowing the illegal structures to be retro‑legitimised. The scandal uncovered a bribery system nicknamed “soap,” in which officials received money, apartments or summer houses to approve violations.

The probe highlighted systemic zoning fraud across Buca, resulting in the arrest of 42 officials and the imprisonment of nine, including Duman and Kılıç, underscoring a major municipal corruption scandal in Turkey.