Mayor of Yeni Boğaziçi sentenced to 6 months in prison for document forgery

Yeni Boğaziçi Mayor Katip Demir has been sentenced to six months in prison in a case involving the forgery of an official document and the unlawful obtaining of a bank loan. Once the verdict enters into force, his duties will temporarily pass to Deputy Mayor Muharrem Kuşaf.

The Famagusta court found Demir guilty of forging an official document and obtaining a loan by fraudulent means. At the same time, he was acquitted of the charges of using a forged document and abuse of office.

The investigation established that in 2017, the municipal council authorized the mayor to take out a loan of 1 million Turkish lira for a term of 15 months. However, Demir independently altered the official document, extending the loan term to 60 months.

The court emphasized that such actions undermine trust in public documents and are incompatible with the principles of a state governed by the rule of law. The ruling also notes that elected officials are obliged to act strictly within the law, and the attitude of “I decided so” is unacceptable.

Despite mitigating circumstances, the court concluded that a prison sentence was the only possible punishment given the nature of the offense.

Under the Municipalities Law, until the next elections the mayor’s duties will be carried out by Deputy Mayor Muharrem Kuşaf.