Operations based in Istanbul and the southern city of Antalya over allegations of corruption in municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) netted 37 suspects on Tuesday.
In Istanbul, police targeted suspects accused of links to a corruption scheme involving the municipality of the Beylikdüzü district and Imamoğlu Inşaat, a construction company owned by the family of former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. Imamoğlu was jailed last year in a separate corruption probe and faces hundreds of years of prison terms for running a criminal network thriving on bribes. Before his first election to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s top post, Imamoğlu served as mayor of Beylikdüzü between 2014 and 2019.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul announced that the suspects were accused of involvement in a scheme to hand out construction permits violating regulations to Imamoğlu Inşaat. The suspects were apprehended in operations in Istanbul, the northern city of Giresun and the northwestern city of Bursa.
Prosecutors say the probe stemmed from another investigation into the criminal network led by Ekrem Imamoğlu. Investigators discovered irregularities in the selection of building inspection companies working on the projects by Imamoğlu Inşaat between 2022 and 2023. The said companies approved construction projects despite a series of irregularities. The suspects are accused of forgery of official documents, defrauding public institutions and agencies and “zoning pollution,” an offense related to construction of buildings in areas otherwise closed to construction.
The statement says the construction company acquired about 30% more construction space thanks to the scheme.
Among the detained suspects in the probe is Beylikdüzü’s Deputy Mayor Tuncay Demircan. Other suspects include municipal staff as well as staff of inspection companies and Imamoğlu Inşaat.
The corruption investigation into Imamoğlu was completed with the preparation of a 3,809-page indictment on Nov. 11, 2025.
In the indictment, he is identified as the alleged “leader of a criminal organization” and is accused of several offenses, including establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes, bribery, laundering criminal proceeds, fraud against public institutions and organizations, recording personal data, illegally obtaining and disseminating personal data, concealing criminal evidence, obstructing communications, damaging public property, receiving bribes, publicly spreading misleading information, extortion, laundering assets derived from crime, rigging tenders, deliberately polluting the environment, violating the Tax Procedure Law, violating the Forestry Law and violating the Mining Law. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts.
In Antalya, authorities detained 10 suspects in an investigation into corruption at ANSET, a subsidiary of the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality. Suspects are accused of rigging public tenders, bribery and money laundering. They include municipal bureaucrats and the staff of the subsidiary in charge of culture and arts events organized by the municipality. The first operation related to the investigation was conducted in April, and 29 suspects were detained. The investigators say public tenders by ANSET were riddled with irregularities, and suspects intervened in awarding the tenders in exchange for bribes.
