Politics
Defendant reveals corruption scheme in Imamoğlu’s Istanbul municipality
Yakup Öner, an engineer who used to work at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), exposed, as part of the widespread corruption case, how the municipal officials rigged tenders involving Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, an opposition favorite.
Öner, who was released earlier after he agreed to collaborate with authorities, testified on Wednesday at the hearing on what prosecutors call the “Imamoğlu criminal organization” at a courthouse in Istanbul.
He told the court that during his tenure at the municipality, he found out that municipal officials were in talks with certain companies before tender processes and sought payment of “7% to 10% of the tender price” to award tenders.
“I found out that cash or similar payments had been requested from some companies doing business with the municipality during the election period,” he said. Some witnesses and defendants in the case have claimed that Imamoğlu and his associates collected cash through bribes to fund Imamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) and his future campaign in presidential elections.
At the hearing, defendant Öner also described an annual salary of $100,000 (TL 4.9 million) that Ekrem Imamoğlu allegedly gave him unofficially in a bag, apparently as hush money.
The indictment stated that Öner had been part of the criminal organization led by Imamoğlu from its establishment. It alleged that Öner conveyed to Imamoğlu the details of his meetings with prominent businesspeople concerning structures located within the Bosporus scenic zone where new construction is either strictly regulated or prohibited based on zoning plans. The indictment also stated that, in line with Imamoğlu’s instructions, municipal officials requested “charitable donations, construction of nurseries, schools and libraries” as bribes in exchange for issuing otherwise unattainable permits.
Öner said Imamoğlu had requested the construction of a nursery worth $700,000 in exchange for a strengthening permit for a villa and had also asked a company to waive a TL 10 million receivable from the municipality in exchange for a strengthening permit.
Regarding the allegation that a $10 million bribe was demanded to refrain from taking action over zoning violations involving a building owned by a prominent company, Öner said, “The structure related to (the nightclub) Reina dates back to before 1950 and is therefore legally considered to have an occupancy permit. Accordingly, under the regulations, it is possible to issue a strengthening permit for structures with occupancy permits. The relevant company’s request was for this purpose. Ekrem Imamoğlu conveyed this matter to me. He told me about the company’s requests and said, ‘Let’s ask them to waive $10 million of the total amount they are owed by the rail systems,” he said,” referring to the municipality’s debt to the said company, which also undertook a rail project for the municipality.
In another instance, Öner said Imamoğlu told him to ask a construction company to build a dormitory and hand it to the municipality in exchange for a building permit.
Asked about the annual $100,000 salary that Imamoğlu allegedly gave him unofficially, Öner said: “I was an employee working outside the institution when I had my own company. Naturally, you establish a certain standard of living for yourself. When you are told to maintain that standard while working at the institution, you cannot change it. Therefore, I made such a request. He was kind enough not to turn me down, but this was an annual $100,000 regardless of the nature or quality of the work I was doing.”
When the prosecutor asked whether the money came from municipal funds or was paid by Imamoğlu himself, the defendant replied, “I received it from him.”
When asked whether the money was handed over in cash, the defendant said, “Yes, I received it in cash. I would receive it from him in the environment where he was.”
The prosecutor then asked, “Did Mr. Ekrem carry the money around by taking it out of his pocket?”
The defendant replied, “No, not in his pocket. I received it in a bag.”
“None of the businesspeople willingly or gladly accepted the high amounts of payments during any of the meetings. They somehow made it clear that they were not making the payments willingly. They felt that their future relationships and business dealings depended on these payments. Therefore, they felt they had to make them,” he said.
Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said on Friday that security in the Caucasus could not be considered separately from the security of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as the three countries’ defense chiefs met in Azerbaijan to discuss regional security and military cooperation.
Güler made the remarks at the 13th Türkiye-Azerbaijan-Georgia Trilateral Defense Ministers Meeting in Shusha, attended by Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov and Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Chikovani.
The ministers discussed military and defense cooperation as well as regional security developments before signing a protocol at the end of the meeting.
“The security of the Caucasus cannot be considered separately from the security of Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia,” Güler stressed.
He said Türkiye remained committed to supporting the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Georgia and was ready to deepen cooperation among the three countries in support of peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Caucasus.
Güler said the South Caucasus was undergoing a significant period of transformation and welcomed recent developments toward establishing peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Türkiye believed the emerging regional environment could create new opportunities for cooperation through joint efforts by South Caucasus countries, adding that trilateral cooperation among Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia had particular importance in that process, the minister noted.
Güler also pointed to energy, transportation and communications projects linking the three countries, saying they contributed not only to economic development but also to regional security and stability.
“Ensuring the security of these projects is the common responsibility of our countries,” he said.
Joint military exercises as well as training and experience-sharing activities among the three countries’ armed forces reflected that responsibility, Güler added.
Most recently, more than 3,500 military personnel from Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have taken part in the joint exercises, which began Sept. 21. In addition, 130 unmanned aerial vehicles, 70 armored vehicles, 90 artillery systems and 20 aircraft are participating in the exercise, along with more than 30 electronic warfare, reconnaissance and surveillance systems.
Furthermore, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, speaking after the meeting, described the trilateral format as an important platform for regional stability, security and development.
He said the ministers discussed prospects for expanding bilateral and trilateral cooperation, the effectiveness of existing activities and military and political developments in the region.
Hasanov stated that coordination and cooperation among the three countries had become increasingly important amid growing global political tensions, emerging challenges and economic uncertainty.
Türkiye and Azerbaijan signed several defense contracts surpassing $500 million in value, a senior official announced on Wednesday.
The deals include the supply of 14 Hürkuş-II trainer aircraft and various defense systems, said Haluk Görgün, head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB).
In a statement, Görgün said the two countries, which support each other during natural disasters, wars and other times of need, were strengthening defense industry cooperation to promote regional peace and stability.
He remarked that their trust and solidarity continued to translate into concrete projects under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Ahead of the trilateral talks, Güler also held bilateral meetings with Hasanov and Chikovani in Shusha. The officials discussed ways to bolster military, military-technical and military education cooperation, as well as regional security and efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region.
The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) will pick its next chair in 2027. It is still unclear whether incumbent Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu will run again, but the names of at least seven people are circulating, with one politician announcing his intention to challenge Kılıçdaroğlu.
The large number shows that the party, Türkiye’s oldest, will have its fair share of feuds even after the bitter departure of former Chair Özgür Özel and fellow lawmakers, ending CHP’s status as “main opposition.”
Following the launch of the CHP’s congress calendar on Sept. 10, attention has turned to the party’s grand congress, which is planned for spring 2027. District and provincial congresses are expected to be completed by Feb. 14, 2027, after which the party’s assembly is expected to finalize the date of the grand congress.
The names of Aytuğ Atıcı, Muharrem Ince (a former presidential candidate), Engin Altay, Oğuz Kaan Salıcı, Ali Öztunç and Vahap Seçer are reportedly being discussed as potential candidates for party chair. Seçer, mayor of Mersin, was detained on Wednesday on charges of corruption. CHP Elazığ lawmaker Gürsel Erol had also publicly listed the same names. Ümit Uysal, the party’s mayor for Muratpaşa district in the southern province of Antalya, is also circulating as a potential candidate. Kılıçdaroğlu has not completely ruled out a candidacy when asked whether he would run.
The figure to take a concrete step toward a candidacy was Aytuğ Atıcı. Atıcı, a former CHP lawmaker from Mersin, announced his candidacy for party chair on Sept. 15. Before announcing his decision, Atıcı met with Kılıçdaroğlu and informed him that he would run at the congress.
Muharrem Ince is also among the names most frequently discussed in speculation over the party leadership.
A Sept. 24 exclusive report by the Takvim news website said Ince was sounding out support for a leadership bid but was considering running only if Kılıçdaroğlu did not enter the race and broad consensus emerged within the party. The same report said there was speculation that Ince preferred a formula that could be supported by different factions within the party rather than a race involving multiple candidates.
Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu voiced concern over Israel’s growing presence in the Greek Cypriot-administered south, saying expanding military ties could undermine security on the divided island.
Ertuğruloğlu made the remarks during a meeting with Turkish journalists in Washington, D.C., as part of his U.S. visit following the U.N. General Assembly meetings.
Responding to a question about the impact of the Greek Cypriot administration’s growing military ties with Israel and other countries on security on the island, Ertuğruloğlu said Turkish Cypriot authorities were concerned about Israel’s increasing involvement.
“We are, of course, not pleased with Israel becoming so influential in southern Cyprus,” he stated, “This is a relationship that puts the island’s security at risk.”
He also criticized the Greek Cypriot administration’s military cooperation with France, U.S. arms sales and military training, as well as British policies involving its bases on the island.
Ertuğruloğlu said such developments risked disrupting stability but argued that Türkiye had taken necessary measures to preserve the military balance.
He emphasized that Turkish Cypriots remained confident about their security despite regional tensions, citing the presence of Turkish forces on the island and Türkiye’s role as a guarantor.
Two-state position unchanged
Ertuğruloğlu further noted the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) would maintain its current foreign policy position on the future of the Cyprus issue, reiterating its call for two sovereign, equal states with equal international status.
“The point we have reached in foreign policy is final: two sovereign, equal states with equal international status,” he said. “There is no option of establishing a new partnership with the Greek Cypriots. That is over.”
He underlined that Turkish Cypriots had previously attempted to establish a partnership with Greek Cypriots, referring to the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 and the intercommunal violence that began in 1963.
Ertuğruloğlu argued that the Greek Cypriot side’s approach to the Cyprus dispute had not changed and said the international community’s policies encouraged it.
He also pointed to military cooperation between the Greek Cypriot administration and Israel, as well as the expected participation of U.S., British and French military personnel in anniversary ceremonies in southern Cyprus.
Ertuğruloğlu said future relations on the island could instead be based on good, neighborly ties between the two states.
“There can now be neighborly relations on the island,” he said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay, who resigned from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in June, at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Wednesday.
“We informed the president about important issues on Izmir’s agenda and our projects for the city’s future,” Tugay noted in a written statement, thanking Erdoğan for the meeting and his interest in Izmir.
The meeting comes amid speculation over Tugay’s political future following his departure from the CHP.
Tugay resigned from the party on June 18 amid turmoil following a court ruling concerning the CHP leadership and said he would continue serving as Izmir mayor as an independent.
His departure left Türkiye’s third-largest city with a mayor who was not a CHP member for the first time in more than two decades.
Since his resignation, Turkish media reports have speculated that Tugay could join the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
AK Party Izmir lawmaker Mehmet Kasapoğlu, responding to the speculation, said the party would neither attempt to force political developments nor “close the door” on trends emerging naturally in politics.
Erdoğan’s meeting with Tugay follows a Sept. 9 meeting with Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who later announced his resignation from the CHP and said he would continue his political career as an independent.
Morning raids on Thursday netted Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Vahap Seçer, along with the mayors of the Yenişehir and Mezitli districts in the province.
Authorities announced that a total of 59 suspects were detained in an investigation into corruption in the municipalities.
Seçer, Yenişehir Mayor Abdullah Özyiğit and Mezitli Mayor Ahmet Serkan Tuncer are all members of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose new chair, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, has pledged to cleanse the party of corruption after taking office last May.
The investigation into Mersin municipality, a city of about 2 million people, found that violations of regulations in 13 public tenders and 63 acquisitions organized by the municipality resulted in a public loss of more than TL 330 million ($6.73 million). Suspects linked to Mezitli Municipality caused a public loss of more than TL 1.1 billion, investigators discovered, again through rigged public tenders and acquisitions, while the figure was TL 105 million at Yenişehir Municipality.
A similar scheme was discovered in most municipalities that faced investigations in the past two years, and almost all of them were run by CHP mayors. In other investigations, prosecutors have accused defendants, including mayors and senior municipal bureaucrats, of running criminal organizations that thrived on bribes in exchange for zoning and building permits, awarding lucrative tenders to businesspeople in exchange for advance payments in violation of tender laws and holding companies hostage over payments for their services, releasing the payments only after the companies paid additional money to the municipalities.
Authorities said Tuncer also faced a separate investigation over allegations that he ordered armed attacks on people with whom he was involved in a feud, as well as on a local office of the New Party (YP), which was founded last July by former CHP chair Özgür Özel, and the offices of a media company.
The CHP seeks to restore its image, tarnished by the arrest of mayors on corruption charges. As promised by Kılıçdaroğlu, the “cleansing process” will now involve preemptive steps to prevent future cases, according to a recent report by Sabah newspaper. Starting next year, the party will introduce a “performance monitoring system” for its mayors, which will serve as a benchmark to assess whether they comply with the CHP’s predetermined criteria.
With this move, the mayors’ past and future performance will come under scrutiny. They will be assessed based on how many criteria they have met, and at the end of the process, they will be given a “report card.”
The mayors will undergo reviews in a number of areas, including project management, financial management, human resources management and public relations. The flow of funds in municipalities, investments and the allocation of tenders are also expected to be examined comprehensively.
Mayors whose activities are deemed suspicious, who fail to meet the established criteria or are found to have performed poorly will not be nominated in the next election. Throughout the process, the main focus will be on clean politics and financial transparency.
All of the mayors who remain under the CHP umbrella are individuals who were nominated in the last local elections during Özgür Özel’s tenure as party chairperson. The party leadership also plans to hold a meeting of mayors shortly to strengthen central authority and discuss steps to be taken for the coming year.
Defense Minister Yaşar Güler attended the Distinguished Observer Day of the Unity of Strength-2026 military exercise in Azerbaijan on Thursday, alongside senior commanders from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
The exercise, hosted by Azerbaijan with the participation of Türkiye and Uzbekistan, is aimed at improving coordination and joint operational capabilities among the three countries’ armed forces.
Güler visited the exercise area in Shusha with Chief of General Staff Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, Navy Commander Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, Land Forces Commander Gen. Metin Tokel and Air Force Commander Gen. Rafet Dalkıran.
Güler and Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov also inspected weapons, ammunition and military technologies displayed and used during the exercise.
Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said Turkish and Azerbaijani air forces struck simulated ground targets on their first attempts during the drills. The ministry also said troops conducted urban warfare training as part of the exercise.
According to the ministry, participating units trained under challenging scenarios designed to improve coordination, speed and their ability to conduct joint operations.
More than 3,500 military personnel from Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have taken part in the joint exercises, which began Sept. 21, according to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, noting the drills marked the first military exercise of this scale to include territories retaken by Azerbaijan.
More than 130 unmanned aerial vehicles, 70 armored vehicles, 90 artillery systems and 20 aircraft are participating in the exercise, along with more than 30 electronic warfare, reconnaissance and surveillance systems. The drills also involve more than 15 air defense systems, eight sets of engineering equipment and more than 20 naval vessels, the ministry said.
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