An Istanbul district mayor from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was detained early on Thursday, along with 20 others, over alleged tender rigging.
An Istanbul prosecutor ordered the detention of Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler and three others over the alleged collusion, as well as 17 others for establishing, joining and aiding an organization with criminal intent, media reports said.
Prosecutors had launched an investigation into three concerts by the Beykoz Municipality last year over irregularities. The municipality’s cultural and social matters representative was detained as part of the probe.
Police continue searching the municipal premises.
Köseler’s detention is the third such instance for the CHP in recent months.
In October, Istanbul’s Esenyurt district mayor, Ahmet Türk, was convicted for his connection to the PKK terrorist group.
In January, Istanbul’s upscale Beşiktaş district mayor, Rıza Akpolat, was arrested as part of an investigation into rigging allegations that involved his office and companies run by his municipalities.
The CHP has denied the charges against its members, insisting the investigations were meant to “silence” the opposition.
The government dismisses the accusations and says the judiciary is independent.
The CHP has also repeatedly accused prosecutors assigned to their corruption cases of acting as a “guillotine” for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, with Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu making threatening remarks against the city’s chief prosecutor.
Erdoğan has hit out at the opposition, saying they “cannot make threats on live television.”
“Nobody can threaten judicial members, put pressure on the courts or wag their fingers at our judicial committee for pursuing unlawfulness with the authority granted by law,” he said.
