Türkiye has detained 15 more suspects linked to alleged corruption at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), authorities said Friday.
The detentions are part of an ongoing investigation by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul into alleged bribery, tender rigging and fraud at the IBB, run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).
Authorities issued search warrants for 18 people in total in connection with the investigation.
The suspects, charged with bribery and tender rigging, include deputy managers, representatives and purchasing personnel of several construction companies
Police said the search continues for the other three suspects.
Dozens of suspects, including Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, have been arrested on charges of “leading a criminal organization,” “membership in a criminal organization,” “extortion,” “bribery,” “aggravated fraud,” “unlawful acquisition of personal data” and “tender rigging” since March.
A barrage of investigations focusing on CHP-run municipalities across Türkiye netted mayors and municipal bureaucrats accused of taking bribes in exchange for building permits, rigging tenders and other forms of corruption involving municipal businesses.
The CHP, which runs Istanbul and more than half of its districts, claims the charges are politically motivated, while authorities highlight that the judiciary is independent of any political influence and point out that some investigations were launched upon complaints by CHP members themselves against mayors and municipal officials.
Although several mayors before him were detained or arrested in corruption probes, the arrest of Imamoğlu in March for alleged corruption triggered protests by the CHP.
CHP Chair Özgür Özel led the protests that occasionally descended into all-out riots. Recently, Özel openly threatened an uprising against the democratically elected government if the corruption investigations continue, prompting outcry from CHP critics who accused him of attempting to instigate a coup.
Imamoğlu, who is declared a future presidential candidate by the CHP after his arrest, faces a spate of accusations alongside corruption charges, including forging his university diploma, and insulting and threatening prosecutors who investigated him.
The former mayor was sentenced to 20 months in prison last week for threatening Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gürlek, barely dodging a political ban.
Özel is similarly under investigation for making threats against public and judicial officials due to their duties.
