An Istanbul court has ordered the arrest of 25 more individuals in an escalating corruption investigation targeting Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, while the city’s acting mayor has also come under judicial scrutiny, Turkish media reported on Tuesday.
The arrests come over two months after the controversial jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a senior figure in the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a leading contender in Turkey’s 2028 presidential race.
Prosecutors referred 36 suspects to court on Monday and sought judicial supervision for 10 others. The court approved arrest warrants for 25 individuals, releasing the remaining 21 under monitoring conditions. Among those detained are İmamoğlu’s Chief of Staff Kadriye Kasapoğlu and his chief of security, Mustafa Akın.
The arrests are part of a broader investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which critics say is politically motivated and aimed at dismantling the main opposition’s foothold in Turkey’s largest city.
Meanwhile, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported Tuesday that a new investigation has been opened into Istanbul’s acting mayor, Nuri Aslan, for allegedly “preventing the fulfillment of public duty.” Aslan is accused of threatening courthouse security staff during questioning of suspects detained in last week’s wave of arrests. Aslan, a city council member from the CHP, was appointed acting mayor following İmamoğlu’s detention in March.
The opposition has condemned the latest developments as a targeted campaign to cripple İmamoğlu’s political influence and weaken the CHP ahead of future elections.
CHP Istanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik described the arrests as “systematic injustice” and an abuse of the judiciary.
“This is a desperate attempt by the government to obstruct İmamoğlu and his team through political manipulation of the courts,” Çelik said. “We are saddened and angry, but we will not stop fighting for justice, equality before the law, and true democracy.”
CHP group deputy chair Ali Mahir Başarır also reacted sharply, calling the operation “revenge disguised as law enforcement.”
“There is no evidence, no legal foundation—only secret witnesses and political plots. Justice has collapsed. These schemes will fail, and truth will prevail,” he said.
İmamoğlu, who remains in custody, issued a statement through his legal team expressing sorrow and frustration over what he called “lawlessness driven by political ambition and greed.”
“I lament not only the injustice against my colleagues but the condition of our country. What kind of justice system fabricates cases through oppression, threats, and blackmail?” İmamoğlu asked.
The mayor’s arrest on March 19 marked a turning point in what many see as an intensifying crackdown on the opposition. Several CHP mayors across Istanbul have also faced removal from office or prosecution on charges ranging from terrorism to corruption—charges frequently criticized as lacking credible evidence.
Observers warn the government’s actions are part of a broader strategy by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to sideline potential rivals and consolidate power ahead of the 2028 elections.
