Muhittin Böcek, former mayor of Antalya who was arrested in a corruption probe, admitted paying 5 million euros to Ekrem Imamoğlu, another former mayor charged with corruption, for candidacy at the Turkish main opposition CHP.
Böcek came forward with more confessions this week, long after his arrest in a corruption investigation. Böcek told investigators that he had a deal with Ekrem Imamoğlu, former mayor of Istanbul, to pay 15 million euros in exchange of securing a candidacy for Antalya in the past elections. Böcek’s statements made public over the weekend indicate the influence of Imamoğlu within the party, which declared him as a future presidential candidate following his 2025 arrest on charges of rampant corruption at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB).
In his earlier statements where he sought a leniency in his future sentencing, Böcek has admitted making a payment to party’s headquarters for candidacy in municipal elections. He has claimed that the party’s then chair Özgür Özel instructed him to deliver 950,000 euros to Ferdi Zeyrek, the late mayor of western city of Manisa and a close associate of Özel, to contribute to his campaign for candidacy. In his new statement, Böcek said Imamoğlu asked for 15 million euros and he used “hawala” system to pay five million euros of the request and skipped the rest of the payment when Imamoğlu was arrested in March 2025. Böcek also claimed that Imamoğlu asked him to cover his expenses for the Mediterranean leg of his future presidential campaign.
