Istanbul Municipality graft probe sees fresh detentions
ISTANBUL
Turkish authorities on June 18 launched a new wave of operations targeting alleged corruption within the Istanbul Municipality, issuing detention warrants for 18 suspects.
The police detained 14 of the 18 individuals by midday, among them senior executives from municipal subsidiaries, local media reported.
The Istanbul Municipality, governed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been under investigation for months over allegations of corruption and bid rigging, particularly involving its affiliated companies.
With the latest operation, the number of suspects in the case has risen to 312. So far, 97 people have been jailed pending trial.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and several district mayors from the city have been in pre-trial arrest since March.
In a fresh development regarding another CHP-run municipality, corruption investigation in İzmir reached a new stage on July 18, with prosecutors concluding the indictment against former İzmir Mayor Tunç Soyer.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences from three to 45 years against Soyer, CHP’s İzmir provincial head Şenol Aslanoğlu and 63 others.
The İzmir case focuses on allegations of misconduct and bid rigging related to the municipality’s construction company, İZBETON, after it was granted authority over urban transformation projects.
İzmir, Türkiye’s third-largest city, has long been a CHP stronghold. Soyer served as mayor from 2019 to 2024. In the most recent local elections, the party nominated Cemil Tugay, now the city's current mayor.
The allegations include tampering with public tenders awarded to third-party companies and claims that several documented services and construction works were either partially delivered or never carried out at all.
