A fourth wave of operations has been launched as part of an investigation into alleged “financial crimes” at the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), with detention orders issued for 49 individuals.
Among those detained are Kadriye Kasapoğlu, chief of staff to Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, as well as Yavuz Saltık and Ali Kurt, who were previously arrested and later released.
According to a report by state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the Financial Crimes Unit of the İstanbul Police Department has so far detained 42 people across İstanbul, İzmir, Trabzon, Antalya, Dersim, and Kocaeli.
Searches of residences and detention procedures are ongoing.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued the following statement:
“In case file 2024/228233 S.N, in relation to irregularities identified at İSTAÇ, Kiptaş, and the Road Maintenance Department, instructions were given to the İstanbul Police Department’s Financial Crimes Unit to carry out arrest, detention, search, and seizure procedures for 49 suspects, including Ali Kurt, Ziya Gökmen Togay, İbrahim Bülbüllü, Nezahat Kurt, and Mustafa Akın. The relevant procedures are currently ongoing.”
Third wave of arrests targeting İstanbul Municipality
“The scales you tampered with will one day weigh you”
CHP Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair Gökhan Günaydın made the following remarks on X:
“Fourth wave of operations against İBB…
Kadriye Kasapoğlu, the chief of staff who was previously detained and asked why the previous owner of a second-hand car she had bought had left the country, and was later released under judicial control, has been detained once again.
Similarly, Deputy Secretary-General Arif Gürkan Alpay, who was released after being detained during the second wave, has been re-detained.
Yavuz Saltık, Head of the Directorate of Mukhtars, who was acquitted in the Diayder case, is also among those detained.
Mustafa Akın, İBB’s Head of Protection Services, as well as İBB Urban Planning Group Head and Kiptaş General Manager Ali Kurt, and İBB Infrastructure and Energy Group Head and İSTAÇ General Manager Ziya Gökmen Tugay are also among those taken into custody.
Meanwhile, this morning, the first hearing of Esenyurt’s elected but imprisoned mayor, Ahmet Özer, will take place in the Silivri prison complex.
In short, detentions and court hearings have become intertwined.
If you are an İBB official, you must now be prepared for an operation every morning – even if you’ve already been detained and released before.
There are 1,400 municipalities in Turkey. The real target is İBB – and let’s be clear, the target is actually İmamoğlu.
Justice is the foundation of religion…
The scales you tampered with will one day weigh you.”
“They know they’ve already lost”
The İstanbul head of CHP, Özgür Çelik, also commented on X:
“With operation after operation, the government is trying to compensate for its political exhaustion and buy time. Those who are hostile to the people are targeting the people’s institution, the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality. They know they’ve lost, and they see that Ekrem İmamoğlu will win again with public support. Since they can’t win people’s hearts, they attempt to intimidate 86 million people through fear.
They can’t find a crime. Whatever they accuse us of turns out to be baseless. Everyone sees that this entire process is built on lies and slander. They are tormenting innocent people with dawn raids that they wouldn’t dare conduct against real criminals. They are harassing people by detaining them repeatedly.
Let everyone know: our struggle will continue under all conditions. We will overcome these dark days together with our people. We trust the deep conscience of our people, who say, ‘Let your cruelty increase, so your downfall comes quickly.’”
“These people will not bow, kneel, or be silenced”
CHP Deputy Chair for Election and Legal Affairs Gül Çiftci also made a statement on X regarding the fourth wave of operations targeting the İBB.
Describing the operation as a new step in the government’s strategy to “weaponize the judiciary to manipulate society and suppress the opposition,” Çiftci said:
“The fourth wave of operations targeting the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality is the latest move in the government’s strategy of weaponizing the judiciary to manipulate society and suppress the opposition.
This is nothing short of a campaign of political vengeance. The palace regime is using the state like a criminal organization to take over municipalities. The judiciary is acting as the palace’s enforcer. This isn’t just the sound of approaching fascism—it is fascism itself!
Let those who are hostile to the will of the people of İstanbul know: these people will not bow, kneel, or be silenced!”
(EMK/DT)
