Five mayors suspended from duty after arrests in Istanbul Municipality probe

ISTANBUL

Five district mayors have been suspended from office following their arrests in an ongoing corruption investigation targeting Istanbul Municipality, the Interior Ministry announced on June 5.

In the early hours of June 4, a court ordered the arrest of Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgül, Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe and Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara.

The same ruling also led to the arrests of Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar and Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin, both from the southern province of Adana.

All five mayors are members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which governs Istanbul Municipality.

The investigation — launched in March — has centered on allegations of bribery, bid rigging and other forms of graft. It has since expanded to include sweeping raids and the detention of numerous senior officials.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been imprisoned since late March as part of the same investigation.

Unlike in cases involving terrorism charges, no state-appointed trustees will be assigned to replace the suspended mayors. Instead, each municipal council will elect an acting mayor from among its own members.

With the latest wave of arrests, the total number of CHP mayors jailed in connection with the case has risen to eight. Three other CHP mayors have been imprisoned over different investigations.

The Istanbul Governor’s Office announced that the municipal councils of Avcılar, Büyükçekmece and Gaziosmanpaşa will convene at 10 a.m. on June 11 to elect interim mayors.

Meanwhile, on June 5, two suspects — businessmen Ali Nuhoğlu and Süleyman Atik — were released after agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors as part of the municipality investigation.

Their release came just one day after 20 other individuals were freed under similar circumstances after turning state witnesses.