 and 18 others have been jailed pending trial as part of an expanding investigation into CHP-run municipalities, the Anka news agency reported.){kind=link}
A district mayor from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and 18 others have been jailed pending trial as part of an expanding investigation into CHP-run municipalities, the Anka news agency reported.
Onursal Adıgüzel, the mayor of Ataşehir on İstanbul’s Asian side, was among 20 people detained in a late-night operation on April 18 targeting the İstanbul district municipality over allegations of bid rigging, forming a criminal organization and bribery.
After approximately 11 hours of questioning on Tuesday, prosecutors referred 19 of the detainees including Adıgüzel to court with a request for arrest. A judge subsequently ordered their pretrial detention on charges including “establishing a criminal organization.”
One suspect was released under judicial supervision.
The CHP strongly criticized the arrests, describing them as politically motivated.
Özgür Çelik, head of the CHP’s İstanbul branch, said Adıgüzel and municipal employees were jailed based on “slander” from individuals with personal vendettas.
“All of Turkey must see that a war has been openly declared against the will of the people,” Çelik said on social media, accusing the judiciary of being politicized.
In the March 2024 local elections, Adıgüzel, 41, was elected mayor of Ataşehir with 56 percent of the vote, defeating ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) candidate Mustafa Naim Yağcı, who secured 35 percent.
CHP Deputy Chairman Gökan Zeybek also condemned the decision, alleging violations of the right to a defense and a lack of transparency during the legal process.
“The place you are dragging this country to is a cliff,” Zeybek said, adding that the public’s electoral will was being disregarded.
The detentions mark the latest in a series of investigations targeting municipalities run by the CHP, which has faced increasing legal pressure following its electoral gains in major cities in the 2024 local elections.
Adıgüzel is the 20th mayor from the CHP to be jailed pending trial.
The most prominent target remains İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, whose corruption trial began in March after nearly a year of pretrial detention.