Police apprehended a suspect with a hefty sum of cash while authorities seized the construction company owned by Ekrem İmamoğlu after the Istanbul mayor was detained on Wednesday in a far-reaching probe into corruption at the municipality as well as links to terrorism.
Businessperson Ali Nuhoğlu, one of the suspects in a sweeping corruption probe involving Imamoglu and 99 others on charges of bribery, fraud, and organized crime, among others, was apprehended in Istanbul with TL 40 million ($1.05 million) in cash. The investigation covers a wide range of accusations, including "leading a criminal organization,” "membership in a criminal organization,” "bribery,” "extortion,” "aggravated fraud,” "unlawful acquisition of personal data” and "bid-rigging in public tenders,” said prosecutors. Besides these charges, in addition to Imamoglu, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Deputy Secretary-General Mahir Polat and Sisli District Mayor Resul Emrah Sahan are accused of "aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization.”
Authorities said that Nuhoğlu, who previously came to the fore with the controversial sale of three luxury villas to Imamoglu at a fraction of their market value, was caught with millions in cash at his residence.
Investigators also revealed that Emrah Bağdatlı, a suspect tied to the probe and an alleged advisor to IBB Media Inc. Chairperson Murat Ongun, fled Türkiye two weeks ago. Records show that Bağdatlı secured over 60 tenders through IBB Media Inc. from 2022 to 2024, as well as multiple contracts from municipal companies KİPTAŞ and Kültür A.Ş. Authorities found he had established numerous advertising agencies under the names of nearly 35 of his employees, many of which shared addresses and coordinated bids to the same tenders. Police tracking Bağdatlı discovered he attempted to mislead them by purchasing a plane ticket for a flight to Houston, Texas, in the United States on March 6. However, he abandoned his phone at home to avoid surveillance and escaped via the Ipsala Border Gate by car on March 5 at 6.38 p.m. local time.
As part of the broader probe, authorities have detained 87 suspects, including four out of seven individuals accused of aiding the PKK/KCK terror group. Three remain fugitives. In the organized crime case, 83 suspects have been detained, while 10 others, including seven believed to be out of the country, remain at large.
Also on Wednesday, authorities seized the construction company co-owned by Imamoğlu, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office said. The prosecutor's office said control of Imamoğlu Construction, Trade and Industry was taken over by a criminal court of peace, based on financial crime investigation reports. Imamoğlu is heir to a construction company founded by his father on Istanbul's European side.
On Thursday, İmamoğlu and others started to give statements to investigators while operations were underway to capture fugitive suspects. After statements, suspects will be referred to a court where judges may rule for their arrest or release. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Thursday that 37 suspects were detained for making provocative posts inciting crime and hatred over the detention of İmamoğlu. Özgür Özel, chair of the Republican People's Party (CHP), has claimed that Imamoğlu's detention was a "coup" and, in a speech outside the Istanbul municipality building late Wednesday, called people to "take to the streets" for resistance. Turkish authorities identified 261 social media accounts, including 62 based abroad, for "provocative posts" following the detention of Imamoğlu and 105 others and were continuing efforts to track down the remaining suspects, Yerlikaya said on X. The minister said 18.6 million posts were shared on X about Imamoğlu after his detention in less than 24 hours.