A Turkish court has issued an arrest warrant for Cafer Mahiroğlu, the CEO of opposition-aligned broadcaster Halk TV, as part of an expanding judicial investigation linked to alleged corruption in main opposition-run municipalities, Turkish Minute reported on Tuesday.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that Mahiroğlu, who is currently abroad, is being investigated for alleged involvement in bid rigging. The office said the arrest warrant was issued by the on-duty Criminal Court of Peace in İstanbul as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged criminal network tied to public tenders.
The charges against Mahiroğlu are based on testimony and findings from a broader probe into businessman Aziz İhsan Aktaş, who is accused of forming and leading a criminal group involved in public procurement fraud, bribery, money laundering and violations of tax law.
Mahiroğlu on Tuesday responded to the developments on X, saying that he is being accused based on “fabricated lies and slanders” of someone he has never known or seen in his life.
“Apparently, there is a cost to owning Halk TV … to defending democracy, rights and the rule of law and to standing up against corruption,” he added.
The investigation is part of a broader judicial process that began in October 2024 with the arrest of Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer and has since expanded to include several municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). In recent months, dozens of people — including İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other CHP mayors, party officials and businesspeople — have been detained or arrested as part of separate but related probes conducted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, focusing on alleged financial crimes.
The arrests come in the wake of the CHP’s sweeping victory in the March 2024 local elections in which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered its worst electoral defeat in two decades, losing control of key cities to the opposition.
İmamoğlu, seen as a leading contender to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the next presidential election, was declared his party’s presidential candidate on March 23, the same day he was arrested. His detention sparked nationwide protests, marking the largest wave of unrest in Turkey in over a decade.
Opposition leaders and rights groups have accused the Erdoğan government of using judicial pressure to suppress political rivals and roll back democratic gains made by opposition-held local governments.
