Dozens Held in Corruption Probe into Istanbul Municipality

Among those taken into custody are several high-profile names linked to the administration of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, including the municipality's deputy secretary-general, Arif Gürkan Alpay; İmamoğlu’s executive assistant, Kadriye Kasapoğlu; and Gözdem Ongun, the wife of Murat Ongun, who is İmamoğlu’s adviser.

Bakırköy Deputy Mayor Ali Rıza Akyüz; former lawmaker Turan Aydoğan; İmamoğlu’s bodyguard, Çağlar Türkmen; and İmamoğlu’s brother-in-law, Cevat Kaya, were also detained.

Detention orders were issued for 53 individuals, and searches were conducted at their homes and workplaces, officials said.

Şafak Başa, the general manager of the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (İSKİ), along with İSKİ's deputy general manager, Begüm Çelikdelen, and Environmental Inspection Department head Adem Şanlısoy were also among those detained.

İmamoğlu was removed from office earlier in the probe and is being held at Marmara Prison in Istanbul's Silivri district.

The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) accused the government of using the investigation to target those opposing Istanbul Canal, a plan to construct a man-made waterway connecting the Marmara and Black Seas.

İmamoğlu described the detained individuals are “guardians of Istanbul." In a message shared through his lawyers, İmamoğlu said, "These patriotic people are those who filed lawsuits and ordered demolitions to prevent the treasonous Istanbul Canal project."

CHP leader Özgür Özel canceled planned appearances in the western cities of Manisa and İzmir to travel to Istanbul. He echoed the criticism, challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a “duel” over corruption claims.

Özel argued that İSKİ’s recent actions against unlicensed housing linked to Istanbul Canal had triggered the detentions.

In a statement, the Communications Directorate denied any connection between the detentions and the project. It also rejected claims that the operation followed İSKİ’s decision to demolish residences built by the government’s housing agency, TOKİ.

“The housing project has nothing to do with Istanbul Canal," the presidential directorate said, stating that TOKİ’s construction efforts are part of a separate social housing initiative.

İmamoğlu stood accused of being a leader of a vast bribery network that purportedly dates back to his tenure as mayor of Beylikdüzü in 2014, later extending into municipal subsidiaries under his current administration.

Allegations also claimed that individuals linked to PKK were appointed to municipal positions as part of the electoral alliance between the CHP and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) in 2023.

However, the judge dismissed the prosecution’s request to arrest İmamoğlu on charges of aiding PKK, granting his release in that particular case.

Over 50 people were arrested across these two separate investigations.

High-profile municipal figures such as Murat Ongun, Buğra Gökçe and Mahir Polat were also arrested, along with prominent businessmen Ali İlbak and Ali Nuhoğlu. Many of the arrested officials held leadership roles in municipal subsidiaries focused on media and cultural affairs.

Source: HDN