Former Esenyurt Mayor Wins Back Pay Lawsuit Against Appointed Administrator
Former Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer won a lawsuit against the appointed administrator for unpaid wages, setting a precedent for suspended officials.
Cuneyd Erdogan ·
Ahmet Özer, the former mayor of Esenyurt, has successfully sued the appointed administrator, Can Aksoy, for unpaid wages. The court ruled on February 12, 2026, that Özer is entitled to two-thirds of his salary for July and August 2025, plus statutory interest.
This landmark decision sets a precedent for safeguarding the salary rights of municipal mayors who have been suspended from their duties.
Özer was removed from office on November 11, 2025, as part of an ongoing investigation, leading to Aksoy's appointment as the interim administrator. Turkish law mandates that suspended mayors continue to receive two-thirds of their regular salary. However, the Esenyurt administrator had failed to make these payments to Özer.
The court's judgment specifically orders the defendant administration to compensate Özer for the withheld financial entitlements, along with legal interest calculated from the due date of each payment. The administration has a 30-day window to appeal the verdict to the Istanbul Regional Administrative Court.