A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the pre-trial arrest of 18 suspects detained over the weekend in the second wave of operations against corruption allegations involving Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). They were among 30 detained in operations in three provinces. Twelve suspects in the case were released with judicial control, while two others remain at large.
The arrests are linked to a major investigation into alleged wrongdoings of what prosecutors call a criminal network led by Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu. Imamoğlu, his aides, several businesspeople and bureaucrats from the IBB were arrested in March in the first round of operations. Imamoğlu and others are charged with running a criminal gang, graft, taking bribes and obtaining private data illegally, as well as rigging public tenders launched by the municipality.
Among those arrested are directors of IBB’s departments and subsidiaries, a bodyguard of Imamoğlu who was seen in a controversial video blocking security cameras during a secret meeting between Imamoğlu and other suspects, businesspeople and a deputy mayor of Istanbul’s Bakırköy district. Among those released are the wife of Murat Ongun, a key adviser to Imamoğlu, and Şafak Başa, head of Istanbul’s water utility. They were ordered into a pre-trial house arrest.
The court stated that the arrested suspects were flight risks and had substantial evidence pointing to their probable guilt, as well as accounts from eyewitnesses and plaintiffs in the case.
Also on Wednesday, allegations surfaced against some suspects. Among them is Elçin Karaoğlu, the head of a municipal department responsible for issuing building permits along the scenic Bosporus. Prosecutors say Karaoğlu sought bribes in exchange for licenses for the construction of buildings or the repair of existing buildings, which are supposed to be subject to strict inspections before authorities issue permits. Yakup Öner, another suspect working as an engineer at the municipality, is also accused of taking bribes in the same field. Deputy directors of Kültür AŞ, a municipality subsidiary, who were detained over the weekend, are also accused of rigging public tenders and awarding them in return for bribes.
