A wave of corruption investigations targeting municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) since March has resulted in the arrest of 14 elected mayors and one deputy mayor, in addition to a mayor who was given house arrest.
Three of the mayors were running the cities of İstanbul, Adana, and Adıyaman, and 11 run districts in various provinces including İstanbul.
The latest case emerged in İstanbul’s Şile district, where police detained Mayor Özgür Kabadayı and five others on Jul 10 as part of a probe by the İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. The investigation is focused on allegations of "establishing a criminal organization," "bribery," "extortion," and "bid rigging."
Among those detained was Ali Şafak, a lawyer and former board member of the Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD).
Kabadayı was elected in the Mar 31 local elections. Originally from Şile, he has been active in several civil society organizations and is currently vice chair of the Şile branch of the Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD). He also served as a manager of the Şile Sports Club.
In the previous day, Zeydan Karalar, mayor of Adana, Turkey's largest city, was remanded in custody and subsequently removed from office.
Previous arrests in the latest wave include Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek, Manavgat Mayor Niyazi Nefi Kara, and Büyükçekmece Deputy Mayor Ahmet Şahin. All have been suspended from office following their detention.
Meanwhile, Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere has been placed under house arrest and was today suspended from his position.
Background
The corruption investigations into the CHP commenced in March, following the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and nearly 100 others, mostly municipal employees and officials. İmamoğlu, widely viewed as a key challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was later announced as the CHP’s presidential candidate.
Suspension is a legal precaution taken during ongoing investigations or legal proceedings. Under Article 47 of the Municipal Law No. 5393, mayors can be suspended by the interior minister during such processes. If acquitted, the official may return to duty. However, in practice, suspending mayors has often served as a de facto permanent measure over the past decade, allowing the government to take control of opposition-run municipalities. The practice mainly targeted pro-Kurdish parties until the recent crackdown on the CHP.
15 women imprisoned in investigations into İstanbul Municipality
While the interior minister is also authorized to appoint trustees in place of suspended mayors, in practice this measure was typically applied in terrorism-related cases. In corruption cases, if a mayor is suspended, the city council selects a deputy mayor to assume the role. As the CHP holds a majority in most of the affected municipal councils, the party maintained administrative control in all but one municipality—İstanbul's Beykoz district.
The CHP has also been facing a separate legal case seeking to annul its November 2023 congress, which brought current party leader Özgür Özel to power, on grounds of alleged voting irregularities.
The CHP claims the investigations are politically motivated attempts to reverse its electoral gains. The AKP, meanwhile, maintains that the opposition is using political rhetoric to obscure misconduct.
After surpassing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in both vote share and number of municipalities won in the 2024 local elections, the CHP now controls 35 out of 81 provincial municipalities, including 14 metropolitan cities. (VK)
