A municipal employee suspended by jailed district mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu has invoked Turkey's "effective remorse" provision and filed a criminal complaint, according to Medyascope. The worker said the suspension stemmed from hostility Beşikçioğlu harbored toward him.
The development adds a new layer to an ongoing legal saga around Beşikçioğlu, the mayor of Ankara's Etimesgut district, who is currently in custody. Medyascope reported the worker's move without specifying which investigation the remorse plea applies to or the exact nature of the complaint.
Beşikçioğlu, a former actor, was removed from his post and detained as part of a separate probe, with multiple Turkish outlets covering the case. Hürriyet reported that a drug test administered to the mayor came back positive, and his statement included a notable reference to an appointment. Onedio also confirmed the banned substance test result was positive. Sözcü separately noted his formal suspension from duties, while Haber 7 reported allegations that Beşikçioğlu threatened a citizen.
The worker's complaint, filed under the legal mechanism that offers reduced sentences for cooperating suspects, suggests friction between the mayor and his staff predates the current criminal proceedings. Medyascope's report frames the suspension as an act of personal animosity rather than a routine administrative decision.
What to watch next: whether prosecutors merge the worker's complaint with the existing case against Beşikçioğlu, and how the positive drug test factors into the broader indictment.
