Multiple people arrested as probe into Istanbul mayor’s imprisonment widens

Police in Istanbul conducted dawn raids on Saturday and detained 47 individuals. These raids are part of a corruption investigation connected to the recent imprisonment of the city’s mayor, resulting in Turkey’s most significant protests in over ten years.

The arrests took place not only in Istanbul but also in the neighboring province of Tekirdag and the capital city, Ankara. Local media sources have reported that among those detained were high-ranking officials from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

The detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19 triggered widespread public outrage. Imamoglu, who is seen as a primary opponent to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-standing leadership, drew hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets of various Turkish cities. Many believe the case against him is politically motivated, although the government maintains that Turkey’s judiciary operates independently.

In a statement, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said simultaneous operations were conducted against 53 suspects, six of whom remain at large. Searches were continuing at homes and workplaces, it added.

Demonstrations against Imamoglu’s jailing and wider democratic backsliding saw more than 2,000 people arrested for taking part in banned protests last month. Many of them were students but journalists and trades unionists were also among the detainees.

Imamoglu, who also faces terror-related charges in a parallel investigation launched last month, was nominated the presidential candidate for his Republican People’s Party, or CHP, while in prison. Elections are due in 2028 but could come earlier.

The cases against him, which include several others that pre-date the March investigations, could see him banned from politics.

The CHP-supporting Cumhuriyet newspaper reported that Saturday’s arrests included the deputy secretary general of Istanbul municipality, Imamoglu’s private secretary and the head of the city’s water company. Gokhan Gunaydin, a senior CHP lawmaker, said the municipality was being “effectively rendered inoperable” by the arrests.

The wife of Imamoglu’s adviser was also detained Saturday. The adviser was among some 100 arrested in March’s wave of arrests and remains in prison.

Demonstrations against what the opposition calls the “March 19 coup” are continuing, although on a smaller scale. Ankara governor’s office said Saturday that 30 people were arrested at a protest the previous evening. The CHP was due to hold a rally later Saturday in the Mediterranean city of Mersin.

The party won a swath of major cities in 2019 local elections, making further gains in last year’s polls. In Istanbul, Imamoglu’s victory ended 25 years of control for Erdogan’s party and its predecessors.