Turkish authorities detained 27 suspects Monday in a second wave of arrests tied to a bribery investigation into the western Turkish city of Uşak, while a separate high-profile corruption trial involving suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu was set to resume with dozens of defendants appearing before the court.
The operation targeting Usak Municipality was carried out simultaneously in Istanbul, Uşak and Izmir as part of an investigation led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to Turkish authorities.
Prosecutors allege that municipal tenders in Uşak were rigged, that bribes were solicited from local tradesmen in exchange for irregular administrative actions, and that large sums of money were collected for Usakspor under the name of donations and aid.
Authorities also alleged that cash donations were delivered directly to the mayor’s office and that senior municipal officials spent money at entertainment venues, with the expenses later covered through the municipal budget under meal and hospitality bills.
The detentions were based on witness statements, testimony from suspects who cooperated under remorse provisions, digital examination reports and findings from Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), officials said.
The latest operation came after nine people, including suspended Uşak Mayor Özkan Yalım, were previously arrested in the same investigation.
In a separate case in Uşak province, Eşme, six suspects tied to an investigation of alleged misconduct were referred to the courthouse after police procedures were completed. Those referred included Eşme Mayor Yılmaz Tozan and his wife, Burcu Tozan.
The Eşme investigation is being conducted under the coordination of the Uşak Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Esme Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Police had detained Tozan, his wife, his driver, a municipal police officer and another municipal employee on April 17. A municipal council member from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) who had been sought under an arrest warrant, was later apprehended. Another suspect was found to already be in prison for a separate offense.
Meanwhile, in Istanbul, a sweeping corruption trial involving hundreds of defendants connected to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) was set to enter its 24th hearing.
The case includes 414 defendants, 92 of whom are under arrest, among them former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who was suspended from office after being jailed pending trial.
Prosecutors accuse Imamoğlu, identified in the indictment as the leader of a criminal organization, of a wide range of offenses including forming and leading a criminal group, bribery, money laundering, fraud against public institutions, unlawful collection and dissemination of personal data, destruction of evidence, bid-rigging and abuse of office.
The 3,809-page indictment was completed on Nov. 11, 2025, and seeks prison sentences ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts.
The first hearing in the case was held on March 9, and 34 defendants have presented their defenses so far. Proceedings are being held four days a week at a courthouse inside the Marmara Open Prison complex in Silivri, west of Istanbul.
At earlier sessions, the court ordered the release of several defendants, including municipal staff, drivers and businesspeople named in the case.
The court also merged a separate indictment involving seven defendants, including suspended Beyoğlu Mayor Inan Güney, with the main IBB corruption case. Güney and two other defendants were ordered to be present in court for the resumed hearing.
