Turkish authorities on Thursday arrested a businessperson accused of smuggling abroad a fugitive wanted in the corruption case against the Istanbul municipality.
Adnan Bıçakçı was detained for allegedly helping Emrah Bağdatlı flee abroad and was later arrested on charges of “being a member of a criminal organization.”
The arrest is part of the investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) over allegations of corruption and bribery.
During questioning, Bıçakçı admitted to taking Bağdatlı, a man he said he had known for nearly 14 years, to Dedeağaç (Alexandroupolis), a Greek city bordering northwestern Türkiye, for dinner and that Bağdatlı later did not return, making up an excuse about “shopping for a horse in France.”
“My wife and I never thought any of it until the operations on March 19,” Bıçakçı told prosecutors, referring to the date the investigations were launched against the city.
“After that, I understood why Emrah stayed there. Afterwards, he called me online a couple of times to ask me how it was going. He never mentioned anything else,” Bağdatlı said.
A total of 100 suspects, including ousted Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, his press adviser Murat Ongun, construction General-Secretary Tuncay Yılmaz, businessperson Fatih Keleş, Imamoğlu's consultant Ertan Yıldız and others linked to the organization, have been implicated in charges related to "being a leader of a criminal organization," "membership in a criminal organization," "bribery," "fraud," "illegal data acquisition" and "tampering with a tender."
Several witnesses have testified in the case so far, claiming the former mayor and his office sought millions in bribes from contractors and business owners.
Most accusations date back to Imamoğlu’s time as mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district between 2014 and 2019, when he rose to prominence as Istanbul mayor after his party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), won the municipal seat following years of the office being held by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
A report in the Sabah newspaper last week said Imamoğlu was bribed with a posh villa in return for approving a land deal for a housing development in Beylikdüzü.
The contractor, identified as A.K., was among the suspects questioned by prosecutors after Imamoğlu was arrested in March. A.K. said he handed over a villa in Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district to Imamoğlu in 2016 in exchange for approval of the housing project he built in central Beylikdüzü.
Muhammed Ömer Tüncel, an assembly member of the Beylikdüzü municipality representing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), told Sabah earlier this month that the housing development, situated next to the Beylikdüzü municipality building, enjoyed special privileges thanks to Imamoğlu.
Prosecutors say Imamoğlu was among the leaders of a criminal network apparently enriching themselves through bribes and rigged public tenders. Ekrem Imamoğlu and 99 others are also accused of illegally obtaining personal data, while a separate probe also accuses him, IBB Deputy Secretary-General Mahir Polat, Istanbul’s Şişli District Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan and four others of helping the PKK terrorist group. Security forces are still searching for 19 fugitive suspects.
The CHP has launched rallies and incited riots after Imamoğlu’s arrest. It claims that Imamoğlu’s arrest is politically motivated, as the party had nominated him for the next presidential election. However, the government argues that the CHP’s claim and pro-Imamoğlu rallies are simply an attempt to cover up the mayor’s alleged wrongdoings, which range from rigging public tenders to taking bribes.
