Newsletters
Six suspects, including Zeydan Karalar, mayor of Adana Metropolitan Municipality from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), and Ceyhan Kayhan, deputy mayor of Adiyaman, were arrested Tuesday as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation centered in Istanbul.
The probe, led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, includes investigations into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, an alleged criminal organization headed by Aziz Ihsan Aktas, and suspected irregularities involving the Buyukcekmece Municipality of Istanbul.
Karalar, Kayhan, Rabil Artan, Ozcan Zenger, Kazim Gokhan Yankilic, and Burak Kangal were taken into custody in connection with the investigation into the alleged Aktas-led organization. Following the completion of judicial procedures, a criminal court of peace ordered their formal arrest.
1 min read
“We will assert our rights against this decision which is contrary to the law, to the evidence and to conscience,” Karalar’s lawyer Huseyin Ersoz said in a post on X.
Karalar's arrest is part of the ongoing corruption case linked to opposition Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief political rival. Imamoglu, CHP’s declared candidate for the 2028 presidential election, was arrested in March, prompting street protests.
The probe widened over the weekend, with Antalya Mayor Muhittin Bocek and Adiyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere also taken into custody. Bocek was remanded in custody on Saturday, while Tutdere was placed under house arrest on Tuesday.
In a separate development, Buyukcekmece Deputy Mayor Ahmet Sahin and his driver, Sonkan Turan, were also arrested Tuesday in connection with the same investigations.
The mayor of Manavgat, a resort town in Antalya province, was jailed pending trial over bribery and corruption allegations. The Interior Ministry later announced the mayor had been suspended from office.
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel condemned the arrest of Karalar, calling it deeply unjust. Highlighting Karalar’s electoral success in Adana, Ozel said: “He has been to the ballot box twice. He ran Seyhan, then they told him, ‘Take over the metropolitan, you’ve done well.’ He served one term, then they said, ‘Take another.’ Each time he increased his vote. Now they go and issue an arrest warrant. It’s truly unacceptable. It’s a complete disgrace.”
All the arrested mayors, affiliated with the CHP, have denied the charges against them.
Meanwhile Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas, also from the CHP, criticized the arrests, calling them politically driven.
“We are not against prosecution. However, we want a fair, independent and unbiased prosecution,” Yavas said on X. “Because the law does not bend or twist according to the time or politics.”
1 min read
