Istanbul’s Besiktas mayor among 47 detained in corruption probe

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has issued detention orders for 47 individuals, including Riza Akpolat, the mayor of Besiktas from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption in municipal tender processes.

A statement from the Istanbul prosecutor announced that a three-month investigation uncovered an organized crime network accused of orchestrating municipal tenders through bribery, which identified 47 suspects involved in these activities.

The prosecutor’s statement revealed that Mayor Riza Akpolat and 10 officials from the Besiktas Municipality are under investigation for alleged membership in a criminal organization, tampering with tenders, bribery, and corruption.

Akpolat, who was elected Besiktas mayor in the March 31, 2019 elections with 73% of the vote, faces detention as part of the probe.

In a familiar case, Besiktas’ former mayor, Murat Hazinedar, who was elected in 2014 as a CHP candidate, was detained along with 16 others on Dec. 13, 2022, over corruption and bribery allegations. Prosecutors requested a prison sentence of up to 154 years for Hazinedar on March 2, 2023.

Arrested mayor among suspects

Among the 47 suspects is Ahmet Ozer, the CHP mayor of Esenyurt, who was already in custody following his arrest on Oct. 30 as part of a terrorism investigation.

The prosecutor’s office stated that Ozer, along with 12 municipal officials, allegedly conspired with a contractor—also identified as a member of the criminal organization—to manipulate tender processes.

The group is accused of interfering with specifications and cost estimates, accessing confidential documents, and influencing outcomes in favor of the criminal network, using meetings at the Esenyurt municipal building.

First statement from CHP: Trying to create a perception

Istanbul Metropolitan City Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu expressed his party’s support for Akpolat, accusing the government of organizing a “conspiracy.”

“Let those trying to create a perception with this scenario know that you have not convinced anyone, and you will not be able to,” Imamoglu said in a post on social media platform X.

“We stand by our Mayor, will follow the legal process to the end, and expose all injustices,” Imamoglu added.

Mayor of Akdeniz Municipality, Mersin arrested

Meanwhile, in another terrorism-related probe, Hosyar Sariyildiz, the mayor of Akdeniz Municipality in Mersin and a member of the Kurdish-oriented DEM Party, was arrested along with four municipal council members.

The investigation, led by Mersin’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office, targeted individuals accused of “making terrorist propaganda” and “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” As part of the probe, Sariyildiz and five municipal council members were initially taken into custody.

Interior Ministry appointed Seyit Sener, the district governor of Akdeniz, as a trustee in place of Hosyar Sariyildiz.