A court has ordered the arrest of Mersin Metropolitan Mayor Vahap Seçer and two district mayors as part of a corruption investigation in the southern city.
Seçer, Yenişehir Mayor Abdullah Özyiğit and Mezitli Mayor Ahmet Serkan Tuncer were among 17 suspects remanded in custody after questioning by prosecutors.
The court ordered house arrest for seven other suspects and released one under judicial supervision. Proceedings involving another 35 people were continuing.
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The Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office previously issued arrest warrants for 63 people, including the three mayors, as part of its investigation into the Mersin Metropolitan Municipality and the Yenişehir and Mezitli district municipalities.
Police carried out raids on Oct 1, searching municipal buildings and suspects’ addresses.
Four people named in the investigation had previously been arrested, while police detained 59 others during the operation. Another person was later taken into custody, bringing the number of suspects sent to the courthouse to 60.
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Background
The investigation is part of a series of corruption operations targeting opposition-controlled municipalities since Mar 2025. More than 35 mayors have been arrested and suspended from office during the investigations, including mayors of major cities like İstanbul, Antalya, Adana and Bursa. Mersin has now become another metropolitan municipality affected by the operations.
All three Mersin mayors were elected on the ticket of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the Mar 2024 local elections.
Seçer won reelection as metropolitan mayor with 59.52 percent. Özyiğit was reelected in Yenişehir with 62.26 percent and Tuncer won the Mezitli mayoral race with 72,742 votes, or 63.30 percent. (EMK/VK)
