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Seven people were detained on Wednesday in a new round of operations in a far-reaching corruption probe in municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Istanbul.
Among detainees were employees of the municipalities of Avcılar and Beşiktaş districts of the city. Prosecutors said in a statement that they were suspects in a case against a criminal organization led by businessman Aziz Ihsan Aktaş. Financial crime police rounded up five suspects at the Beşiktaş municipality and two others at the Avcılar municipality. Suspects were members of public tender committees of municipalities and were accused of being involved in irregularities.
Aktaş has been accused of enriching himself and municipal bureaucrats by rigging tenders. The businessman who was awarded lucrative contracts by municipalities has collaborated with authorities in exchange for a lenient sentence and confessed to his wrongdoings. His statements led to more operations against CHP-run municipalities, particularly in Istanbul. Aktaş, who was arrested alongside Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, was recently released from his house arrest.
According to case files, Aktaş’s testimony directly led to warrants for 47 individuals, including senior Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) staff and five CHP district mayors. Twenty-two suspects, including five mayors, remain in custody.
Although cases involving Aktaş and those focusing on wrongdoings at the IBB are not directly connected, the arrest of Aktaş and CHP’s district mayors earlier this year was followed by the arrest of IBB Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu in March. Imamoğlu is the most prominent figure from the CHP to be arrested for graft. The CHP claims the operations and arrests are politically motivated.
Avcılar and Beşiktaş have been strongholds of CHP among Istanbul districts, though their mayors have succumbed to legal troubles constantly. Avcılar’s mayor, Utku Caner Çaykara, was recently arrested in a corruption probe and was suspended from office. Handan Toprak Benli, who was the district’s mayor between 2014 and 2019, was arrested on charges of corruption after her tenure ended, though she was later released after about 16 months of incarceration. Murat Hazinedar, Beşiktaş mayor for CHP between 2014 and 2018, was sentenced in April on charges of bribery.
