Silivri mayor among 17 detained in corruption probe

ISTANBUL

Bora Balcıoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul’s Silivri district, was among 17 people detained in a police operation carried out early on June 12 as part of a corruption investigation into the opposition-run municipalities.

Police units from the financial crimes department searched municipal buildings during the operation.

All suspects, including municipal officials and businesspeople, were taken to the Istanbul Police Department for questioning.

In a statement, the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation concerns allegations that municipal processes were used to obtain illicit benefits.

The suspects are being investigated on multiple charges, including forming and leading a criminal organization, bribery, extortion, influence peddling, abuse of office, rigging public tenders and money laundering.

The prosecutor’s office added that there is strong suspicion that Mayor Balcıoğlu, described as the alleged head of the group and other suspects acted together to secure unlawful gains through municipal activities, leading to detention orders for all 17 individuals.

The case comes amid a broader series of legal actions targeting Republican People’s Party (CHP)-led municipalities across Türkiye in the past year, which the opposition says are politically motivated. The government denies any political interference.

Balcıoğlu was elected mayor in the 2024 local elections with 53.2 percent of the vote, defeating the former Mayor Volkan Yılmaz from the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and bringing the remote Istanbul district under CHP administration.