Police detained 49 people today, including former mayor Şeref Albayrak, during a corruption operation targeting the Halfeti Municipality in the southeastern province of Urfa.
The operation was conducted as part of an investigation led by the Birecik Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into alleged wrongdoing in the municipality.
The General Directorate of Security provided detailed in a written statement, noting that detention warrants were issued for 51 suspects, 28 of whom are public officials.
The findings regarding irregularities in the municipality are based on Interior Ministry inspections, Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) analyses, and tax audit reports. The investigation focuses on charges of "forming an organization to commit crimes" and "bid-rigging."
The Halfeti Municipality had been under the control of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) until the 2024 local election. Albayrak managed the municipality as an appointed trustee between 2017 and 2019 after it was seized from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). He was later elected mayor from the AKP in 2019.
Although Albayrak ran for re-election in the 2024 polls, he lost to Mehmet Karayılan, the candidate for the Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) Party, the successor to the HDP. The municipality was removed from DEM Party management and placed back under trustee rule on Nov 4, 2024.
The operation follows recent remarks by Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, who told CNN Türk on Apr 22 that "the fact that operations have not been conducted against AKP municipalities does not mean they will not be. The party is not important to us. It could be AKP, CHP, or another party. The prosecutor's office does not act according to parties."
Since Mar 2025, widespread corruption operations have primarily targeted municipalities controlled by the opposition. This move marks a rare instance of an investigation involving a municipality led by the ruling party. (AB/VK)
