Police carry out new wave of operation against Istanbul Municipality
ISTANBUL
Police on May 20 launched a third leg of the corruption investigation targeting the Istanbul Municipality, as the prosecutors issued the detention orders for 22 individuals.
This third wave came nearly two months after the initial phase of the legal process, during which Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested, along with dozens of high-level officials, on charges of corruption.
In the second operation at the end of April, 18 individuals were arrested.
The police carried out yet another operation on May 20, with among those for whom detention warrants were issued Taner Çetin, the head of the municipality’s press and public relations body.
The investigation is based on allegations of corruption and procedural misconduct in advertising tenders conducted by the Istanbul Municipality.
According to the information submitted to the case file by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), Çetin allegedly orchestrated payments in these procurement processes to be made directly by municipal subsidies to the contracted firms.
Çetin is further accused of organizing tenders in favor of companies close to him and of receiving bribes from those that won the contracts.
The Prosecutor’s Office claimed that a series of corrupt practices were carried out through the municipality’s subsidiaries, particularly those overseeing cultural and media affairs. İmamoğlu himself is described as the leader of this network.
The arrest of İmamoğlu, the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) candidate for the upcoming presidential election, draw nationwide and international attention, triggering weeks-long protests across Türkiye.
