Turkish police have detained the information technology coordinator of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) as part of an expanding investigation into the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) over alleged misuse of voter and personal data, Turkish Minute reported on Thursday.
The official, identified only by the initials O.G.E., was taken into custody on allegations of “unlawfully providing or obtaining data” and “recording personal information,” according to a statement from the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutors allege that the case is linked to the municipality’s “İBB Hanem” digital platform, where a report by Turkey’s National Cyber Incidents Response Center (USOM) allegedly found a database containing information on 11.36 million İstanbul voters. The data was said to have been cross-matched with other municipal records and shared with what authorities described as the “İmamoğlu profit-driven criminal organization” — a reference to jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his associates.
The prosecutor’s office said the investigation “is being expanded” to include additional suspects.
The probe into the İBB’s digital systems began in late October, when 15 people were detained. Six were arrested following questioning at the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan, while nine were released under judicial supervision.
Authorities claim that millions of user records from the municipality’s “İstanbul Senin” app — a platform launched in 2021 to integrate transportation, cultural and social services — were illegally transferred abroad and offered for sale on the dark web.
The İBB has denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated and part of a broader effort to criminalize opposition-led municipalities.
The case is one of several investigations targeting CHP-run municipalities since the party’s sweeping victory in the March 2024 local elections. Dozens of mayors and senior officials have been detained or suspended in recent months, prompting the CHP to accuse the government of orchestrating a “judicial coup” to reverse opposition gains through politically driven prosecutions.
