Turkish prosecutors say Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, among other crimes he is charged with, oversaw a tender-rigging scheme that caused millions of liras in public loss.
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul accuses Imamoğlu of terrorism and corruption, among other charges, according to the indictment released earlier this week, which is thousands of pages long and covers 400 suspects.
Imamoğlu, who belongs to the main opposition's Republican People's Party (CHP), was arrested in March and has been in custody ever since.
The indictment seeks 2,430 years for Imamoğlu for a variety of criminal charges, including using public funds for a potential presidential bid.
According to new details from the indictment, the alleged criminal network run by Imamoğlu steered negotiated tenders for a metro line’s electromechanical systems through a construction company called Yapı Merkezi and its partners through a bribery scheme, causing a TL 697 million ($16.47 million) loss for Istanbulites.
Prosecutors say a temporary guarantee of TL 697 million, deposited after the tender was later canceled, should have been recorded as Treasury revenue but was instead returned, causing financial damage. The process unfolded during the Kirazlı-Halkalı Metro Line Project, relaunched in 2017 after earlier cancellations.
According to prosecutors, a written notification reached their office the day before the Sept. 26, 2024, tender, alleging that the estimated cost had been leaked and that the contract would be awarded to Yapı Merkezi for an amount closely matching the projected figure.
The Yapı Merkezi-led partnership won the tender the next day with a bid of TL 22.469 billion plus VAT, but the process was abruptly canceled on Oct. 7 after initially being approved on Sept. 27. Officials claimed competition “had not reached the expected level,” and the TL 697 million guarantee was returned.
Prosecutors say the real reason was Yapı Merkezi’s finalized Social Security Institution debt, which would have prevented the company from signing the contract. They argue the guarantee should have been transferred to the Treasury, and that canceling the tender at this late stage shielded companies allegedly involved in a bribery arrangement.
The indictment cites phone records of suspects discussing taking “10% from the company that wins the tender,” with one saying “5% would be sufficient” for a figure referred to as “Fatih Abi.”
Prosecutors identify Ahmet Önal, head of the municipality’s European Side Rail Systems Branch, as tender commission chair, and Rail Systems Department head Ceyhun Avşar as the tender official.
Phone records place Yapı Merkezi officials Mustafa Başar Arıoğlu and Sami Özge Arıoğlu at a meeting with alleged organization leader Fatih Keleş at the municipality’s Haliç Social Facilities before the tender, where prosecutors say a 7%-10% bribe share and subcontracting arrangements involving companies tied to Adem Soytekin were agreed upon.
Yapı Merkezi denies any bribery, and municipal officials insist procedures were followed.
