A Turkish court has arrested Bora Balcıoğlu, the mayor of İstanbul’s Silivri district, and nine others as part of a corruption investigation into the opposition-run district municipality, while prosecutors launched or expanded separate operations targeting two other Republican People’s Party (CHP)-controlled municipalities in İstanbul and Antalya, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Anka news agency.
A panel of judges at the Silivri Courthouse ruled for the arrest of Balcıoğlu, a member of the main opposition CHP, along with the nine others.
Eight other people were released under judicial supervision.
The investigation, conducted by the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, concerns allegations of irregularities in some municipal transactions and procedures.
Balcıoğlu was among 18 people including municipal officials and businesspeople detained during police operations targeting the municipality on Friday.
In a statement posted on social media after the arrest decision, Balcıoğlu described the proceedings as a “political operation” targeting not only him but also the will of the Silivri voters.
“My head is held high, and my conscience is clear,” Balcıoğlu said, accusing unnamed journalists and commentators of spreading baseless claims against him. “You cannot imprison Silivri’s will. You cannot take Silivri’s hope hostage.”
He was elected mayor of Silivri in the March 31, 2024, local elections, in which the CHP won control of many municipalities across Turkey, dealing a major blow to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Balcıoğlu received 53 percent of the vote at the time.
His arrest came as prosecutors moved against two other CHP-run municipalities.
In İstanbul prosecutors ordered the detention of 28 people in a probe targeting the Beylikdüzü Municipality and İmamoğlu İnşaat, a construction company owned by the family of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, as well as construction inspection companies.
Police detained 27 suspects in simultaneous operations in İstanbul, Giresun and Bursa, while one suspect was reportedly abroad.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation was linked to allegations that building inspection companies were predetermined for some projects, that zoning violations were overlooked and that occupancy permits were issued despite alleged breaches of construction licenses.
The suspects face accusations including forgery of official documents, zoning violations and the fraud of public institutions.
The prosecutor’s office described the case as part of investigations into what it called a criminal organization led by jailed İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu, a charge İmamoğlu and the CHP have rejected as politically motivated.
İmamoğlu, President Erdoğan’s most prominent political rival, has been jailed since March 2025 on corruption charges that he denies.
His arrest, which came shortly before the CHP formally selected him as its presidential candidate, triggered nationwide protests and drew international criticism.
In the southern province of Antalya, police detained 10 more people as part of an investigation into ANSET, a company affiliated with the CHP-run Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.
The probe includes allegations of bid rigging, bribery, laundering the proceeds of crime and irregularities in the fulfillment of contracts.
The detainees include the husband and mother-in-law of Cansel Çevikol Tuncer, a former secretary-general of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality who was previously arrested in the same investigation, as well as several people who worked for the municipality and its affiliated companies.
The latest operations add to a series of legal actions targeting CHP-run municipalities since the opposition’s strong performance in the March 2024 local elections.
The CHP says the investigations are part of an ongoing campaign to criminalize opposition-run local governments and weaken the party ahead of future elections.
The government denies political interference and says the judiciary acts independently.
