Turkey arrests 29 people in corruption probes against ousted Istanbul mayor
Turkish authorities have arrested 29 people as part of a wide-ranging arrest crackdown targeting a network suspected of involvement in public tender manipulation, bribery and qualified fraud.
The move comes as part of an investigation that prosecutors describe as linked to a "criminal organization" that ousted Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is accused of running from inside the prison, in a case that has sparked a wide political controversy within the country.
According to judicial sources, arrest warrants have been issued against 30 people, 29 of whom have been executed, while one of the wanted persons is still outside Turkey, noting that the investigations are focused on a company affiliated with the municipality suspected of being the focus of systematic manipulation of tenders under the direct supervision of Imamoglu within a wide network of corruption.
142 charges against Imamoglu
Imamoglu has been serving his sentence along with 413 other defendants in Marmara Prison since March 2025, after he was removed from his position by a decision of the Ministry of Interior, while his grand trial began on March 9, 2026, inside the Chaglian Court Complex.
Imamoglu faces 142 charges with possible penalties of up to 2,430 years in prison, including corruption, money laundering, and employing people associated with banned organisations.
Turkish courts are preparing for a pivotal stage in the case, with an intensive schedule of hearings that may determine the course of the trial next summer .
A technical session will be held on June 2, during which experts will present their reports on the audit of the budgets of municipal companies such as İSTAC and KİPTAŞ, before a June 22 session dedicated to discussing charges related to the employment of people suspected of being linked to banned organizations during his tenure as mayor.
Milestones in the Course of the Case
Since the trial began in March, the Court of Appeal has rejected repeated requests for Imamoglu's release on bail, arguing that the "risk of escape and destruction of evidence" remains.
Observers believe that the Public Prosecution is seeking to speed up the pace of the trial with the aim of completing the submission of evidence before the end of the year, while the defense team continues to file appeals before the European Court of Human Rights, considering that the case has a political nature that threatens the integrity of the judicial process.