Bayrampaşa mayor among 26 arrested in corruption probe

ISTANBUL

Police arrested Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu and 25 others on Sept. 16 as part of a sweeping investigation into the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run municipality in Istanbul.

The chief public prosecutor’s office in Istanbul said the probe was launched on charges of extortion, bribery, aggravated fraud and bid rigging. A total of 48 people were detained beginning Sept. 13, of whom 45 were referred to court. Nineteen were later released on probation.

During an event in Istanbul on Sept. 13, CHP leader Özgür Özel said the investigation stemmed from allegations tied to demolitions of illegal buildings, calling it politically motivated.

Mutlu, 64, was elected mayor of Bayrampaşa in March 2024 with 46.7 percent of the vote. Before his election, he worked as an educator and served four terms as the CHP’s Bayrampaşa district leader.

The Bayrampaşa probe brings to 11 the number of CHP-run municipalities in Istanbul facing investigations into corruption or terrorism-related charges. Mayors of Beyoğlu, Esenyurt, Şişli, Beşiktaş, Beykoz, Beylikdüzü, Büyükçekmece, Gaziosmanpaşa, Avcılar and Şile, along with suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, are also in custody.

The detentions come amid a turbulent period for the main opposition party. Earlier this week, an Ankara court postponed until Oct. 24 a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the CHP’s 2023 convention.

Plaintiffs had sought the reinstatement of former party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and his executive board until a final ruling, but the court rejected the request for an interim injunction.

The lawsuit, consolidated from multiple cases filed by former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş and other delegates, alleges bribery marred the party's 38th ordinary convention. It also seeks to annul an extraordinary convention in April 2024 that confirmed Özel’s leadership shortly after İmamoğlu’s arrest.

The party has moved to secure its leadership by filing for an extraordinary convention on Sept. 21 with backing from more than 900 delegates. Meanwhile, its Istanbul branch has faced internal upheaval, with interim provincial chair Gürsel Tekin’s appointment sparking protests and a new congress set for Sept. 24.