An Istanbul court has ordered the release of nine defendants, including Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar, as the second week concluded in a trial involving seven Republican People’s Party (CHP) mayors accused of bribery and bid rigging.
The case centers on allegations that businessman Aziz İhsan Aktaş — identified by prosecutors as the leader of a criminal network — secured public tenders from municipalities through bribery, collusion and bid manipulation involving companies allegedly linked to him.
Five CHP mayors, Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara, Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin, Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar, Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar and Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, had been jailed pending trial since last year. Former Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer and Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere are also being tried without detention.
During the initial hearings, which began on Jan. 27, testimonies of all imprisoned defendants were heard and an interim ruling was announced on Feb. 5.
Under the ruling, Karalar was released, while the imprisonment decision was upheld for four other mayors.
In the case, which involves around 200 suspects, judges are set to begin hearing the defenses of defendants being tried without detention starting Feb. 9.
Karalar was released late on Feb. 5 from an Istanbul prison in the Silivri district and traveled to the southern province of Adana the following day to attend commemorations marking the anniversary of the Feb. 6, 2023, earthquakes.
In a social media post, the mayor said, “While we still carry the traces of a great pain in our hearts, attending this commemoration immediately after leaving Silivri was a responsibility we owe to those we lost and to those left behind.”
CHP leader Özgür Özel said Karalar had been unjustly detained for more than eight months. “Today’s ruling is ultimately the correct decision, but what preceded it — the injustice that lasted 212 days — was wrong,” he said.
Since last year, several CHP mayors have been subjected to investigations over corruption and bribery allegations, with some currently held in pretrial detention.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been in custody since March 2025 as part of a separate bribery investigation.
