The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) was rocked again a new set of scandals last week. A mayor of the party was arrested on sexual harassment of a minor, while a party official stepped down when it was revealed that he chopped down olive trees the CHP had sought to preserve. Moreover, a court in northwestern city of Bursa accepted an indictment for a district mayor from the CHP on charges of widespread corruption.
Much as it strives to portray itself as a bastion of the righteous in Turkish politics, the CHP has failed to shake off its image as a party tainted with infighting and corruption. A 2023 congress that brought the current administration to power in Türkiye’s oldest party pitted stalwarts against newcomers and was at the heart of a lawsuit over alleged vote-buying. In the past two years, the CHP also struggled in the face of a spate of corruption investigations against its mayors, including Istanbul’s Ekrem Imamoğlu. But seemingly more low-key scandals also threaten the party’s unity.
On Monday, the party will convene for referring former mayor of Görele, a town in northern Türkiye, to the Higher Disciplinary Board. The board will likely decide on expulsion of Hasbi Dede, who was arrested on charges of sexual harassment of a 16-year-old girl. The text messages Dede allegedly sent to the girl, the daughter of a municipal employee, were disclosed last week. The Interior Ministry suspended Dede from office after his arrest while some CHP supporters staged a rally outside the courthouse where Dede was taken, in a demonstration of “solidarity” with the mayor. The CHP has been largely silent about the scandal, while media outlets reported that dissidents within the party were angered over this lingering silence, forcing the administration to launch disciplinary proceedings for Dede.
Another scandal would have been conveniently swept under the rug by the CHP administration but the name behind it chose to take action and offered his resignation on Sunday. Ahmet Kılbey, head of the CHP’s branch in Milas, a district of southwestern province of Muğla, announced he would step down on Sunday, the day the party’s leader Özgür Özel would hold a rally in defense of environment there. The CHP claimed that the olive trees in Milas would be trimmed to make way for government projects, citing an impending decision of expropriation of lands there. Yet, a few days before the CHP rally, the Sabah newspaper released a report showing that Kılbey ordered the cutting of olive trees as old as 100 years in his own land in Milas. Kılbey has denied the allegations and claimed that he was not in possession of the land anymore. However, further investigation by journalists showed that he simply handed over the land’s ownership to his son-in-law while it was reported that local authorities issued a fine to Kılbey for cutting the olive trees, an act against regulations and laws for preservation of olive orchards. Kılbey said in a statement on Sunday that he decided to resign “in light of recent developments and in order not to harm (CHP’s) decisive march (to power).”
Elsewhere, the 19th High Criminal Court in Bursa approved an indictment over the weekend against the former mayor of Nilüfer district, Turgay Erdem, and 20 others on charges of corruption and bribery. The CHP politician is accused of running a criminal ring thriving on bribes, along with a top municipal bureaucrat. Erdem was arrested on charges of corruption last October.
The indictment delves into a string of corruption-related incidents, such as bribery by construction company owner H.K. H.K. bribed Erdem’s municipal bureaucrats to secure permits for a hospital project in the Ataevler neighborhood, the indictment says. It includes witness statements and logs of phone messages and videos.
H.K. testified that he initially met with Erdem regarding the construction. Erdem then reportedly summoned Ayşegül E. who was serving as the head of the Nilüfer Municipality Zoning and Urban Planning Department at the time.
According to the indictment, H.K. said the approval process stalled despite the initial meetings. He detailed a specific meeting held in Ayşegül E.'s office, attended by Erdem’s brother, Semih, as well as associates Ufuk T. and Tamer I.
"Ufuk T. told me openly, in front of everyone, that the project would be completed if I gave him $50,000 and his partner Tamer I. $100,000," H. K. stated. "He said if I didn't, the project would never pass Ayşegül E.'s approval. He explicitly stated that Mayor Turgay Erdem would not accept any other offer."
The indictment cites archived WhatsApp conversations found on H.K.’s phone under a contact named "Turgay Erdem." One message reportedly read: "Mr. Mayor, we did everything you asked. Ayşegül is still expecting something; she says she won't do it if we don't meet her expectations. After paying you, we paid Aysegul $200,000, but she still hasn't issued the permits."
In later exchanges, Erdem reportedly told the businessman to be patient, saying, "The team is looking into it. They are preparing the report. Have a little patience."
Subsequent messages from H.K. show him pleading for a resolution: "Mr. Mayor, we paid TL 700,000 for the building inspection. You said, 'Pay the money and the matter is closed.' Please, close the matter."
The investigation also uncovered communications on other defendants' phones. An unsent message found on Şemsi O.’s device complained about being unable to receive documents for a project despite fulfilling all demands.
Furthermore, a voice recording sent by Aysegül E. to Tamer I. appears to discuss the signing of irregular files. In the recording, she reportedly says she convinced staff to sign off on projects that did not comply with regulations, promising them, "If you sign, I will sign. As your director, I have your back."
Police photos included in the indictment show stacks of Turkish lira and U.S. dollars discovered in drawers during a search of Tamer I.’s residence.
Prosecutors are seeking up to 10 years for forming and managing a criminal organization, up to 12 years for each of 11 separate counts of bribery.
