The trustee of Akdeniz, who previously took legal action claiming "municipal service areas cannot be sold" when the administration was under the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), is now putting the same properties up for sale as trustee. The same person is both the plaintiff and the seller in the 680-million-TL sale scheduled for April 16.

DEM Party co-mayors Hoşyar Sarıyıldız and Nuriye Arslan, along with three municipal council members, were arrested on January 13, 2025, on fabricated charges. Akdeniz District Governor Zeyit Şener was then appointed as trustee.

Protests erupted in front of the municipal building following the appointment. Demonstrations, attended by DEM Party deputies Ali Bozan and Perihan Koca, were met with police intervention. Some protesters were detained, several injuries were reported, and unrest continued in the Yenipazar neighborhood late into the night. Young people expressed their anger by lighting fires in the streets. DEM Party described the trustee’s appointment as an act of despotism that swept away the remnants of democracy and initiated sit-ins to defend the public’s will. The party also stressed that this process had undermined hopes for a resolution to the Kurdish issue.

The trustee administration reassigned 150 employees, causing service disruptions. Heavy vehicle operators and specialized staff, including sociologists, psychologists, and architects, were transferred to unrelated positions. The Directorate of Women’s Policies was rendered ineffective, and some employees were effectively exiled.

'Unsellable' property now up for sale

Five valuable properties, whose sale was previously blocked by a court ruling due to their status as municipal service areas, are now being put up for auction on April 16. The total estimated value is 680 million Turkish lira, and the combined area is 27,477 square meters. The person who filed the lawsuit to prevent their sale was none other than Akdeniz District Governor Zeyit Şener. Now, wearing the ‘trustee’ hat, Şener is putting the same properties up for sale. Despite having declared these properties 'unsellable' in legal proceedings, Şener, after being appointed as trustee, secured the authority from the municipal council to sell them. He now finds himself both the plaintiff and the seller, both the opponent of the sale and its facilitator.

Properties listed for sale

The parcels being offered are:

- Nusratiye Neighborhood, Block 61, Plot 206: 375 million TL

- Mesudiye Neighborhood, Block 909, Plot 4: 170 million TL (former TEDAŞ building)

- Nusratiye Neighborhood, Block 10214, Plot 2: 50 million TL

 - Yaka Neighborhood, Block 137, Plot 9: 45 million TL

- Yaka Neighborhood, Block 9524, Plot 6: 40 million TL

The most notable property on the list is the former Turkish Electricity Distribution Company (TEDAŞ) building, previously put up for sale but withdrawn due to a lack of council authorization. Back in 2022, the building was proposed for sale by the then-Justice and Development Party (AKP) Mayor Mustafa Gültak. After the detention of five Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) council members, Gültak convened an extraordinary council session and obtained the required authorization. A similar scenario is unfolding today: the elected DEM Party co-mayors and council members are arrested, a trustee is appointed, and the properties are swiftly put up for sale.

It remains unclear which companies will purchase the properties, under what conditions the sales will occur, or what their future zoning statuses might be.

Problematic from administrative and criminal law perspectives

Ali Bozan, a DEM Party MP from Mersin, highlighted the contradictory legal positions in the documents, stating that these raise not only ethical concerns but also legal ones. Bozan said: “The same individual, acting both as a sub-prefect and as a trustee, is initiating procedures to sell properties that he himself previously declared 'unsellable' in the lawsuits he filed. This constitutes a clear example of a ‘conflict of interest’ and ‘abuse of office’ that must be examined from both an administrative and criminal law standpoint.”

Not just a matter of properties

This sale is not merely about a few buildings, parcels, or blocks. It represents a situation in which an appointed administration replaces an elected mandate and proceeds with sales despite court decisions. In essence, it is a gradual erosion of democracy. Public harm, political engineering, and the arbitrary use of judicial mechanisms transform these sales from a simple transfer of ownership into a public corruption scandal. The people of Mersin should view what’s happening in Akdeniz Municipality not just as a property sale, but as a matter that affects the future of democracy, justice, and public resources.