Beyoğlu mayor among dozens held in expanding Istanbul corruption probe
ISTANBUL
Police on Aug. 15 detained more than 40 people, including Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, in the latest wave of a sweeping corruption investigation into the Istanbul Municipality.
Raids were conducted at the homes of Güney, his adviser Yiğit Oğuz Duman and several individuals linked to a municipal subsidiary responsible for cultural and media affairs, media reports said.
Some of the 42 detainees are accused of involvement in fraudulent schemes within subsidiary firms responsible for the culture and media affairs of the Istanbul Municipality.
Others are alleged to have played roles in the social media network of what prosecutors describe as a “criminal organization” set up to facilitate corruption.
Güney’s name earlier surfaced in the testimony of imprisoned businessman Murat Kapkı, a key suspect in a previous phase of the investigation, according to the media.
During questioning by the chief prosecutor’s office, Kapkı alleged that Güney was part of corruption networks within the municipality.
Güney from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is among several mayors who were detained or arrested in the crackdown, which has seen more than 500 people detained in less than a year.
The operation on Aug. 15 followed claims by CHP leader Özgür Özel that Mücahit Birinci, a former senior figure in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and a lawyer, had instructed Kapkı to give false testimony. Speaking at a press conference on Aug 14, Özel alleged that Birinci promised Kapkı both his release and $2 million in exchange for the fabricated statement.
Among those already imprisoned is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been arrested since March on corruption charges and faces multiple other investigations.
Through his lawyers, Güney rejected the allegations on social media platform X, calling them “slander” and “baseless.”
Meanwhile, a forensic medicine body ruled that Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, who has also been imprisoned since March as part of the investigation, can remain in prison, finding “no medical obstacle” to his continued incarceration provided that treatment and regular check-ups are ensured.
Çalık, a fellow CHP figure with a history of cancer, has reportedly experienced significant health problems and weight loss since his imprisonment. He sought release on health grounds and underwent weeks of medical examinations before the decision was issued.
