Turkish authorities on Friday detained dozens of suspects, including the mayors of two opposition-run municipalities, as part of separate investigations into alleged bribery, corruption and abuse of office.

In Istanbul, prosecutors ordered the detention of 41 suspects, including Adalar Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat, following an investigation into allegations that municipal officials accepted bribes in exchange for issuing permits to unauthorized businesses and construction projects in protected historical areas.

The Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation focused on claims that officials in the Adalar district, a protected natural and archaeological site off Istanbul’s coast, allowed extensive renovations and construction activities to proceed under the guise of "minor repairs” in return for bribes.

According to prosecutors, complaints and witness statements prompted an inquiry into alleged offenses including bribery, extortion, forgery of official documents, abuse of office and violations of cultural heritage protection laws.

Investigators examined financial records, phone data and witness testimonies and concluded that some business owners and property developers were allegedly allowed to operate without proper licenses or continue unauthorized construction activities after reaching illicit agreements with municipal officials.

Authorities also alleged that large administrative fines imposed on some unlicensed businesses and illegal structures were later reduced through fraudulent paperwork after bribe negotiations. Prosecutors said evidence in the case points to at least 40 separate incidents involving 47 suspects.

Police carried out simultaneous raids at 90 addresses across Istanbul and the provinces of Kocaeli, Rize and Sivas. Officials said 41 suspects were taken into custody during the operation.

Separately, authorities seized $258,000 in cash and 13 gold bracelets during a search of the residence of a contractor identified only by the initials M.Ö., a former member of the Adalar Municipal Council, according to local media reports.

In a separate operation on the same day, gendarmerie forces detained Silifke Mayor Mustafa Turgut and several municipal employees in the southern province of Mersin.

Security forces raided Silifke Municipality headquarters early Friday and conducted searches inside the building as part of an ongoing investigation. Authorities have not yet disclosed the full scope of the allegations or the number of people detained.

The operations are the latest in a series of investigations targeting local administrations across Türkiye, where corruption allegations involving municipal officials have increasingly drawn public and political scrutiny.

Turkish authorities emphasized that the investigations remain ongoing and that all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law.