İstanbul prosecutors have issued a detention order for İstanbul provincial chair of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Özgür Çelik, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities during the party’s 2023 provincial congress.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched the probe in March, following claims that fraud was committed during the October 2023 congress. Ten individuals, including Çelik, are subject to questioning under the investigation according to a written statement by the prosecutor's office.
The probe into the İstanbul congress is one of several ongoing legal challenges facing the CHP. Another case centers on the party’s general congress held in November 2023, where Özgür Özel was elected party leader, defeating longtime chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
That case also involves allegations of procedural violations, and a ruling is expected in September. A decision against the party could lead to the annulment of the current leadership.
Özel received strong support at the congress from İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was detained in March on corruption charges.
Turkey's main opposition party investigated over vote buying allegations during congress
In addition to the congress-related cases and investigations, the party’s mayors of İstanbul and Antalya, along with 11 district mayors, are currently in pretrial detention, most of them over corruption allegations.
The CHP views these investigations as politically motivated efforts to undermine its electoral gains given that it outperformed the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the 2024 local elections. The AKP, in turn, argues that the party is attempting to deflect attention from internal misconduct by framing legal actions as politically driven. (VK)
