Istanbul court hands prison terms to 6 mayors in corruption case
An Istanbul court has sentenced six mayors to prison terms ranging from nearly six years to more than 23 years on corruption-related charges.
The elected mayors, who were arrested between January and July last year, were all members of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has faced a wave of investigations and arrests over the past year.
Rıza Akpolat, mayor of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district, was sentenced to 23 years and three months in prison on charges including bid-rigging, bribery and money laundering.
Istanbul’s Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for receiving bribes. He was acquitted of the charge of rigging public tenders
