Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu arrested by Istanbul criminal court in corruption probe

ISTANBUL

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested on Sunday by the on-duty criminal court of peace as part of a corruption investigation into the Turkish metropolitan municipality.​​​​​​​

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said in an official statement: “Within the scope of the investigations conducted by our Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the on-duty Magistrate Court has decided to arrest the suspect, Ekrem Imamoglu, on charges of establishing and leading a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, unlawfully recording personal data, and interfering with a tender, within the framework of a financial investigation.”

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched investigations against Imamoglu and 99 other suspects on charges, including leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, embezzlement, bribery, aggravated fraud, unlawful acquisition of personal data, and rigging public tenders.

Following their processing at the police station, several suspects were transferred to Istanbul Courthouse in Caglayan, where their proceedings before the on-duty criminal court of peace took place.

The court ruled for Imamoglu’s arrest.

Murat Ongun, an aide to Imamoglu and the chairman of Medya Inc. — a company owned by the municipality — along with Imamoglu Insaat Company General Manager Tuncay Yilmaz were also arrested as part of the investigation.

Proceedings for the other suspects are still ongoing.

Arrest warrant were issued for Istanbul mayor, 99 others over corruption, terrorism charges

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and 99 others on charges of corruption, bribery, and terrorism-related offenses, according to authorities.

Istanbul prosecutors said the investigation, launched following witness testimonies and financial crime reports, accuses Imamoglu of leading a criminal organization that engaged in systematic fraud, bid-rigging, embezzlement, and bribery.

Prosecutors allege that Imamoglu appointed close associates from his former tenure as mayor of the city’s Beylikduzu district to key positions within the Istanbul Municipality and its subsidiaries, forming a network that siphoned funds into shell companies for personal gain.

Financial reports claim that contractors awarded city projects were coerced into making payments to Imamoglu and his associates.

Fraudulent invoices, inflated contract bids, and fictitious projects allegedly facilitated the laundering of proceeds, with some funds diverted into private construction ventures. Additionally, personal data of Istanbul residents was reportedly obtained illegally to sustain the organization’s operations.

The investigation implicates municipality subsidiaries such as Medya AS, Kultur AS, KIPTAS, and ISFALT, with multiple officials allegedly involved in financial misconduct.

Simultaneous raids and asset seizures have been executed, with several suspects already in custody.

Alleged links to terrorist PKK

A separate probe into terrorism-related activities has led to additional detention orders for Imamoglu and six other individuals, including municipality Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat and Resul Emrah Sahan, the mayor of Istanbul’s Sisli district.

Prosecutors allege that Imamoglu took part in an “urban consensus” initiative tied to the People’s Democratic Congress (HDK), a pro-terrorist PKK entity, before Türkiye’s March 2024 local elections.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly.

According to a statement, terrorist PKK ringleaders Cemil Bayik and Mustafa Karasu directed efforts to increase the group’s influence in metropolitan areas, particularly Istanbul, where nearly one out of five of the country’s population lives.

Prosecutors say Imamoglu knowingly supported the project by approving city council candidate lists strategically aligned with the terrorist group’s objectives.

It further claims that multiple subsidiaries of the municipality, including the Istanbul Planning Agency and BIMTAS, employed individuals with alleged PKK affiliations.

Authorities report that 18 city council members have been arrested for alleged links to the PKK, including the deputy mayors of Atasehir and Kartal.

The Istanbul Police Counterterrorism Unit has been instructed to carry out further detentions, searches, and asset seizures.

Ongoing arrests and political repercussions

Following detention orders, 84 suspects have been detained in total by security forces as part of two separate investigations of terrorism, corruption, and organized crime in the municipality.

Among those detained in the operation are Mayor Imamoglu, his advisor Murat Ongun, Sisli Mayor Sahan, Beylikduzu district Mayor Murat Calik, and singer Ercan Saatci, along with 84 other suspects.

An Istanbul Municipality statement on the investigation said the country has seen a “sad” process unfolding, adding that developments are being closely monitored.

It added: “We are confident that justice will be restored as soon as possible and that all our colleagues, including our esteemed mayor, will return to their duties.

“Our most important responsibility in this process is to continue providing uninterrupted and quality service to 16 million Istanbulites, just as we have to date. Together with all our colleagues, we will remain at our posts and continue our commitment to our city with the same determination.”

The investigations have sparked political controversy, with opposition figures condemning the charges as politically motivated.

Imamoglu, a prominent member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been a vocal critic of the Turkish government.

His legal team has denounced the charges as baseless, arguing that the probes are an attempt to weaken opposition leadership ahead of the next national elections, set for 2028.

Suspect in ‘organized crime’, ‘corruption’ probe in Istanbul apprehended with hefty sum of cash

Businessman Ali Nuhoglu, one of the suspects in sweeping corruption probe involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and 99 others on charges of bribery, fraud and organized crime, among others, was apprehended Wednesday in Istanbul with 40 million Turkish lira ($1.05 million) in cash.

The investigation covers a wide range of accusations including “leading a criminal organization,” “membership in a criminal organization,” “bribery,” “extortion,” “aggravated fraud,” “unlawful acquisition of personal data” and “bid-rigging in public tenders,” said prosecutors.

Besides these charges, in addition to Imamoglu, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Deputy Secretary-General Mahir Polat and Sisli District Mayor Resul Emrah Sahan are accused of “aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization.”

Authorities said that Nuhoglu, who previously came to the fore with the controversial sale of three luxury villas to Imamoglu at a fraction of their market value, was caught with millions in cash at his residence.

Fugitive suspect fled abroad, left his phone at home

Investigators also revealed that Emrah Bagdatli, a suspect tied to the probe and an alleged advisor to IBB Media Inc. Chairman Murat Ongun, fled Türkiye two weeks ago.

Records show that Bagdatli secured over 60 tenders through IBB Media Inc. from 2022 to 2024, as well as multiple contracts from municipal companies KIPTAS and Kultur AS. Authorities found he had established numerous advertising agencies under the names of nearly 35 of his employees, many of which shared addresses and coordinated bids to the same tenders.

Police tracking Bagdatli discovered he attempted to mislead them by purchasing a plane ticket for a flight to Houston, Texas in the US on March 6.
However, he abandoned his phone at home to avoid surveillance and escaped via the Ipsala Border Gate by car on March 5 at 6.38 p.m. local time.

87 suspects detained in corruption probe

As part of the wider probe, authorities have detained 87 suspects, including four out of seven individuals accused of aiding the PKK/KCK terror group.

Three remain fugitives.

In the organized crime case, 83 suspects have been detained, while 10 others, including seven believed to be out of country, remain at large.

Millions of liras seized in Istanbul Municipality corruption investigation

Millions of Turkish liras were seized from the addresses of two key figures detained as part of the corruption and terror investigations into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, according to state prosecutors in the Turkish metropolis.

Seven suspects, including Imamoglu, Istanbul Municipality Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, and Sisli district Mayor Resul Emrah Sahan, are also charged with aiding the terrorist group PKK.

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, infants and the elderly.

Police teams seized millions of liras during searches at the addresses of detained suspects Ali Nuhoglu and Emrah Bagdatli. The latter presented himself as an advisor to Murat Ongun, an aide to Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu as well as the chairman of Medya Inc., a company owned by the Istanbul Municipality.

Police recorded footage of the seizure of the money during searches of the two suspects’ addresses.

Bagdatli went abroad 2 weeks before searches

Nuhoglu was caught by the police with 40 million liras (over $1 million) in his house, while Bagdatli was found to have traveled abroad two weeks before the searches took place.

Authorities determined that in 2022-2024, Bagdatli secured over 60 contracts through Medya Inc. alone, using companies registered under his name.

Furthermore, Bagdatli was found to have received many contracts from KIPTAS and Kultur Inc. – two other Istanbul Municipality companies – as well as founded an advertising company on behalf of some 35 people working with him and received contracts, and that many of these companies were at the same addresses and made price bids for the same contracts.

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