İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu sharply criticized Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar, a leading defense contractor in Turkey and a relative of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, at a press conference on Thursday.
Bayraktar previously accused İmamoğlu’s communications team of orchestrating a smear campaign over alleged sales of jet fuel by Baykar, run by Erdoğan’s son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar and his brother Haluk, to Israel, an accusation İmamoğlu strongly denied.
İmamoğlu, a key figure in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), denied Bayraktar’s accusations, saying, “You speak of a person who uses language that makes me a target. That is very rude behavior. I was not and will not be the target of this rude and slanderous behavior.”
“In our country you see some people try to use the [state] authority more ruthlessly than the people [Erdoğan] who have been given the authority. We are talking here about the friends and relatives of the person who holds the authority. And I say this is not a job for relatives, brother. I am the mayor of the city of İstanbul and I am exercising my legal and lawful authority,” İmamoğlu said.
The clash between İmamoğlu and Bayraktar has wider implications for Turkey’s political landscape, especially as the country heads towards a possible transition of leadership after the Erdoğan era.
İmamoğlu’s CHP outperformed Erdoğan’s AKP in local elections on March 31, marking a significant shift in Turkey’s political dynamics and positioning İmamoğlu as a potential candidate for future presidential elections, while Selçuk Bayraktar is seen by many as Erdoğan’s heir apparent should the president step down, as he hinted before the local elections.
The controversy was ignited when political communicator Evren Barış Yavuz was arrested after he posted a photo of Bayraktar and another family member with a caption suggesting they had sold jet fuel to Israel. After his arrest, Yavuz denied any connection to İmamoğlu or the Istanbul Municipality.
Baykar, which manufactures TB2 combat drones, came under fire amid heightened anti-Israel sentiment in Turkey. The allegations about the sale of jet fuel to Israel were particularly controversial given the ongoing military operations in Gaza and Turkey’s recent trade restrictions on Israel. Baykar was time and again accused of receiving preferential treatment from the government.
Last week, in an unusual defense of Baykar, the Presidency of the Defense Industry (SSB), Turkey’s state-run defense procurement agency, stepped forward to protect the private company, claiming that Baykar had not taken advantage of any government financial incentives, grants or support programs. Critics argue that this protection reflects a broader erosion of neutrality within Turkish state institutions that favors Erdoğan-friendly entities and companies owned by his relatives.
The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, led by Mayor İmamoğlu, has since filed a lawsuit against Haluk Bayraktar for defamation.