Nusret Yılmaz, a lawyer for jailed İstanbul mayor and opposition presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, was released on Wednesday under judicial supervision after being detained in connection with a corruption probe targeting the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the DHA news agency reported.
Yılmaz, a longtime friend of İmamoğlu and also the lawyer representing him and his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, had been taken into custody in the Black Sea province of Trabzon on allegations of “mediating bribery” on Tuesday. He was later transferred to İstanbul for questioning.
Following his questioning by prosecutors, he was released under judicial supervision, which includes a travel ban and requires Yılmaz to regularly check in with police.
Police had detained him as part of an investigation into alleged corruption at the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which İmamoğlu led until his arrest in March.
Yılmaz’s detention took place after another of İmamoğlu’s, lawyers, Mehmet Pehlivan, was arrested June 19 on charges of belonging to a criminal organization. Pehlivan denied the accusation at the time, saying the only organizations he belonged to were the Turkish Bar Association and the İstanbul Bar.
The detention of his two lawyers have intensified criticism that the government is attempting to weaken the legal defense of İmamoğlu, a senior member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). CHP officials called the detentions acts of intimidation and part of a broader campaign targeting opposition figures.
İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 and later arrested on corruption charges criticized as politically motivated. His arrest, widely seen as targeting the biggest political rival to longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election, sparked Turkey’s worst protests in decades.
Since late 2024, more than 500 people linked to the party or the İstanbul Municipality have been detained or arrested on a range of charges, from terrorism to bid rigging, in what critics say is a systematic crackdown.
Among them are 14 CHP mayors, including İmamoğlu, who was also suspended from office.
The party and its supporters say the operations targeting the CHP are designed to neutralize elected officials and sideline opposition leaders after the party’s gains in the March 2024 local elections.
İmamoğlu, who faces multiple investigations, has been sentenced to two prison terms, including one for allegedly insulting a public prosecutor. Both sentences are under appeal, but opposition leaders claim the charges are politically motivated.