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Turkey Detains Opposition Mayors of Adana, Adıyaman and Antalya in Graft Probe

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Published Jul 5, 2025, 09:24 AM

Turkish police on Saturday detained the opposition mayors of Adana, Adıyaman and Antalya in predawn raids that broaden a months-long corruption investigation into municipalities run by the Republican People’s Party (CHP). The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar and Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere were held on extortion charges, while local media reported that Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek was taken into custody in a separate but related probe. At least eight other municipal officials were also detained, with warrants issued for about 10 suspects in total.

Prosecutors allege that the mayors demanded illicit payments from companies winning public tenders, some of them purportedly channelled through businessman Aziz İhsan Aktaş, who is accused of heading an organised crime network. Police searched municipal buildings and Karalar’s private residence, and seized documents believed to be linked to the tenders. Separate searches were conducted in Antalya, where anti-smuggling units detained Böcek and two associates for questioning.

The CHP, which swept Turkey’s 2024 local elections, rejected the accusations as politically motivated. Saturday’s operation raises to at least 14 the number of its mayors detained since October, including Istanbul’s Ekrem İmamoğlu and former İzmir Mayor Tunç Soyer. Government officials say the judiciary is acting independently, but rights groups warn that the expanding crackdown risks further polarising Turkish politics ahead of future national elections.

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#Adana #Adıyaman #Antalya #CHP #Zeydan Karalar #Abdurrahman Tutdere #Muhittin Böcek #Karalar #Böcek #Turkey #Istanbul #Tunç Soyer #Turkish

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EHA MEDYA

@eha_medya

🚨 New inquiry into municipalities with CHP Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar and Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere were detained. Here are the details ⤵️ ▪️ According to the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office, Aziz İhsan Aktaş is the ringleader of the criminal organization,

DW Español

@dw_espanol

Three other opposition mayors arrested in Turkey Along with them, ten other people were arrested. The People's Republican Party (CHP) believes that actions are government driven and politically motivated. (dz)

bianet English

@bianet_eng

Three opposition mayors have been detained in corruption investigations. A total of 8 CHP mayors are now either in custody or in pretrial detention, following the party’s success in the 2024 local elections, where it surpassed Erdoğan’s AKP.