Turkish Authorities Accuse Istanbul Mayor of Corruption
Turkey arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Wednesday on corruption charges, a move criticized by the main opposition party as an “attempted coup against the next president.” Despite his legal troubles, İmamoğlu vowed to continue his fight. “I will not surrender,” he said in a video message on X, according to Reuters.
The Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office released findings from an investigation into İmamoğlu’s financial activities earlier in the day.
In an official statement, prosecutors accused the mayor of being involved in irregular municipal contracts, bid-rigging through direct procurement and service purchases, fraud, and illegal acquisition of personal data, in addition to bribery and organized extortion.
According to CNN Türk, İmamoğlu appointed individuals who had worked with him since his tenure as mayor of Beylikdüzü (2014) to key positions within Istanbul’s municipal departments and affiliated companies. These individuals allegedly created a network to control non-compliant tenders and direct procurement processes. İmamoğlu’s response to the accusations was not immediately available.
