69 detained in bid-rigging operation in Black Sea province

ZONGULDAK - Doğan News Agency

Zonguldak police conducted simultaneous raids at 6 a.m. at the houses and the workplaces of Demir Corporate Group members. DHA photo

Police launched an operation against a family business in the northern province of Zonguldak and detained 69 people including a district mayor, a municipal council member and the chair of the province’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry earlier today.

After 13 months of audio surveillance, police conducted simultaneous raids at 6 a.m. at the houses and the workplaces of Demir Corporate Group members, which is one of the wealthiest family businesses in the region.

Within the operation, which was conducted by about 300 police officers with the support of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department units from Ankara, 69 were detained including the company’s board chairman, Salih Demir; board members Erdoğan Demir, Hacı Demir, Seyfi Demir and Metin Demir; and the city’s Kilimli district Mayor Seçkin Özdemir. Also, some of those who bought coal from the group or worked at Çatalağzı Thermal Plant were reportedly detained.

Also, the buildings of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Kilimli Municipality were raided as part of the operation, after which some documents were seized. During the raids, police units took strict safety measures around the neighborhood. The lawyers of the family members were not allowed in the buildings either.

The 69 suspects who were detained on suspicion of “forming and leading a criminal organization, abetting criminal behavior and bid rigging,” were brought to the provincial police department after undergoing medical examinations at Zonguldak Atatürk State Hospital and Zonguldak State Hospital.