Turkish prosecutors have detained 22 people from a district municipality in Istanbul run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) as part of a corruption investigation amid a broader crackdown on the party, Turkish media reported.
The İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has jurisdiction over parts of İstanbul’s Asian side, said the investigation into the Şile Municipality includes allegations of forming a criminal organization, abuse of office for personal gain, bribery and rigging public tenders.
Prosecutors said detention orders were issued based on suspect and witness testimony, documents believed to be related to bribery, preliminary forensic reviews of mobile phones, telecommunications traffic records showing phone contacts and locations, and analyses of suspects’ financial transactions.
The latest detentions follow the arrest of Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı, who was taken into custody on July 10 and arrested on July 14. Four senior municipal officials were also arrested as part of the same investigation.
Turkey’s Interior Ministry said on July 16 that Kabadayı had been temporarily suspended from office, a standard administrative measure applied to elected officials who are arrested while under investigation.
The prosecutors sought Kabadayı’s arrest over allegations that bribes were taken in exchange for zoning approvals and construction permits, a key area of authority for district municipalities in Turkey.
CHP İstanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik said the investigation was launched based on hearsay, while CHP parliamentary group deputy chair Ali Mahir Başarır accused authorities of detaining officials to shape public perception and then seeking evidence to justify the arrests.
The case comes amid an escalating campaign targeting opposition-run municipalities across Turkey. Since October 2024, 16 mayors from the CHP have been jailed and trustees have been appointed to run 13 municipalities, including İstanbul’s Esenyurt and Şişli districts.
The crackdown has drawn increased attention following the detention and subsequent arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, the party’s most prominent figure. İmamoğlu was detained on March 19, sparking nationwide protests, and was later arrested by a court in a corruption investigation before being suspended from office by the Interior Ministry.
Last month prosecutors filed a nearly 4,000-page indictment accusing İmamoğlu of leading a criminal organization and committing 142 offenses, charges that could carry a combined sentence of up to 2,430 years in prison. The allegations include bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and bid rigging. İmamoğlu has strongly denied all accusations.
