A new wave of arrests has been made in the ongoing corruption investigation targeting the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB).
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has issued detention orders for 14 municipal employees, company representatives, and company staff on charges of "unlawful earnings." Thirteen suspects have been taken into custody so far.
Prosecutors allege that the suspects were involved in corrupt activities alongside Taner Çetin, head of the municipality’s press and public relations department, who was previously detained in connection with the same investigation.
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According to the prosecution, Çetin allegedly arranged tenders in favor of companies close to him, securing contracts from which he and an organized criminal network profited financially, causing public loss. The 14 individuals now detained are accused of participating in processes that provided illicit financial benefits in tenders linked to Çetin.
They face charges of “membership in a criminal organization,” “rigging tenders,” “bribery,” and “aggravated fraud.”
Those detained include Çetin’s wife, Canan Çetin, and his son, Örsan Çetin, along with Doğukan Arıcı, İlkay Onok, Baran Yalgı, Emine Merve Köseoğlu, Ömer Aydın, Ümit Güngör, Ferhat Karatop, Mehmet Ünal, Ali Arslan, Ahmet Işık, and Serkan Gürsoy. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend another suspect, Özer Yıldız.
The corruption probe into the metropolitan municipality began in March, when Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and nearly 100 others were detained. The arrests came as İmamoğlu, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was reportedly preparing to be declared his party’s presidential candidate. The detentions triggered nationwide protests.
The corruption operations have since continued in successive waves. (HA/VK)
