Operations based in Istanbul and the southern city of Antalya over allegations of corruption in municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) netted 37 suspects on Tuesday.
In Istanbul, police targeted suspects accused of links to a corruption scheme involving the municipality of the Beylikdüzü district and Imamoğlu Inşaat, a construction company owned by the family of former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. Imamoğlu was jailed last year in a separate corruption probe and faces hundreds of years of prison terms for running a criminal network thriving on bribes. Before his first election to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s top post, Imamoğlu served as mayor of Beylikdüzü between 2014 and 2019.
The Chief Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul announced that the suspects were accused of involvement in a scheme to hand out construction permits violating regulations to Imamoğlu Inşaat. The suspects were apprehended in operations in Istanbul, the northern city of Giresun and the northwestern city of Bursa.
Prosecutors say the probe stemmed from another investigation into the criminal network led by Ekrem Imamoğlu. Investigators discovered irregularities in the selection of building inspection companies working on the projects by Imamoğlu Inşaat between 2022 and 2023. The said companies approved construction projects despite a series of irregularities. The suspects are accused of forgery of official documents, defrauding public institutions and agencies and “zoning pollution,” an offense related to construction of buildings in areas otherwise closed to construction.
