Fifth Wave of Arrests Under the Istanbul Municipality "Corruption" Investigation

Following the fifth wave of crackdowns targeting CHP-run municipalities, five more mayors have been arrested, raising the number of CHP mayors arrested since the 2024 local elections to 11. The mayors of Büyükçekmece, Gaziosmanpaşa, and Avcılar—districts in Istanbul—as well as Ceyhan and Seyhan—districts in Adana—were detained on June 3 and arrested on June 4. The mayors were detained as part of an investigation launched on the basis of the “effective remorse” provisions by Aziz İhsan Aktaş — which means cooperation with authorities that can significantly reduce or even completely eliminate pubishment. Aktaş is currently in custody for allegedly leading a criminal organization. In his testimony, Aktaş claimed that bribes were paid to secure municipal tenders from several local authorities, most notably Beşiktaş Municipality. All five mayors were arrested, and their terms were terminated.

Protests against the arrests, DW Türkçe

Following the arrest of Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe, AKP candidate Eray Karadeniz was elected acting mayor through a vote in the municipal council. As a result, the number of CHP-led districts has decreased to 25, while AKP has gained one more district. Gaziosmanpaşa was one of the districts that AKP had lost during the 2024 local elections. Özgür Çelik, Istanbul Provincial Chair of the CHP, spoke against the replacements, saying, “History will not forgive you. (…) Here, today, there has been an usurpation of popular will. (…) They have realized an attempt to acquire the municipalities that they lost in the urns through a politicized judiciary.”

Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara was accused of “extortion under color of office” — demanding 5 million 500 thousand Turkish Lira and vehicles to be used in election campaigns according to Aktaş’s testimony — and was replaced through a council vote by CHP candidate Yüksel Can following his arrest. Hasan Akgün, the mayor of Büyükçekmece, was arrested as part of the “corruption” investigation started on May 31. He and four other municipal officials were accused of exerting pressure on construction companies in order to obtain benefits. The judge ruled in favor of his arrest, terminating Akgün’s position of mayor that he had carried out for the past 31 years. Following a vote in the municipal council, CHP candidate Ahmet Şahin was elected acting mayor.

In Adana, two mayors were detained in the scope of the Istanbul Municipality “corruption” investigation. Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar and Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin were both accused of “extortion under color of office.” Acting mayors for these districts will be elected by their respective city councils in the coming days.

The arrests had started in October 2024, with Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer being accused of “membership in a terrorist organization.” Özer was arrested on November 4, and Istanbul Deputy Governor Can Aksoy was appointed as government trustee, as the case was classified as a “terror” investigation. The indictment against Özer seeks a prison sentence of 7 years 6 months to 15 years and a political ban. CHP leader Özgür Özel called the indictment “the product of a conspiracy that could not even be dressed up to look legitimate.”

Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat was arrested alongside Aziz İhsan Aktaş in early January for charges of “membership in a criminal organization,” “bid rigging,” and “illicit enrichment.” Özgür Özel again protested the arrest, saying, “Those who could not enter the doors of the Beşiktaş Municipality try to achieve it through judiciary ploys.” Following the city council vote, Ömer Rasim Şişman was elected acting mayor.

Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler became the third mayor to be arrested under charges of “bid rigging.” Beykoz had been won by CHP from AKP during the 2024 elections, and the city council elected Özlem Vural Gürzel as acting mayor. İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has commented on the trend, saying, “Those who lost to the people at the ballot box are now staging a coup against the people’s will.” He himself was detained shortly after, on March 19, for two distinct cases of “corruption” and “terror,” and the judge ruled his arrest on “corruption” charges. Alongside İmamoğlu, Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık and Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan were also arrested. CHP candidate Attorney Önder Serkan Çebi was elected acting mayor in the Beylikdüzü city council. However, Şahan was replaced by a government-appointed trustee instead of holding a council vote, former Şişli Governor Cevdet Ertürkmen.

As of now, in eight municipalities, city councils have elected acting mayors from the CHP, while in Gaziosmanpaşa, an AKP candidate was elected. Two districts—Şişli and Esenyurt—are now run by government-appointed trustees. Following İmamoğlu’s arrest there were wide protests all throughout İstanbul starting on March 19, however these protests have dwindled in size and intensity. While occasional local protests continue, the latests arrests have not rekindled the public uproar. Nevertheless, certain cases like in Gaziosmanpaşa have reopened debates on the importance of popular will and the respect for it.

Edited by: Ömer Gökçe