Politics
Former mayors among arrested in major ops against corruption in Türkiye
Two former mayors from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) were among 15 suspects remanded into custody on Tuesday on charges of corruption.
Authorities in Kırıkkale, a province neighboring the capital Ankara, have earlier detained 35 suspects in connection with corruption allegations at province’s Yahşihan district. Former Mayors Ahmet Sungur and Osman Türkyılmaz were among them.
Sungur and Türkyılmaz were detained along with their deputies, municipal assembly members and businesspeople on Sept. 24. They are accused of running a criminal organization, bribery, rigging public tenders and fraud.
A crackdown on municipalities where mayors are suspected of corruption began a few years ago in Istanbul and soon spread across the country. Most of those arrested or detained for corruption are from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Probably most notable among them is Ekrem Imamoğlu, mayor of Türkiye’s most populated city, Istanbul. Imamoğlu was arrested last 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.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that work was underway on the possible transfer of Türkiye’s Russian-made S-400 air defense systems to a third country, a move that could help address a longstanding dispute between Ankara and Washington over Türkiye’s participation in the F-35 fighter jet program.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the issue was “on the agenda” and that discussions were taking place.
“Relevant work is being done, and appropriate contacts are taking place,” Peskov noted when asked about the possibility of transferring the systems.
His comments came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow could consider allowing the S-400 systems to be transferred to another country.
Lavrov said any recipient would need to act responsibly and maintain friendly relations with Russia, adding that Moscow would consider such a transfer if a request were made.
Türkiye agreed to purchase the S-400 air defense system from Russia in 2017 and acquired the system in 2019.
The acquisition drew criticism from the United States and other NATO allies, which argued that operating the Russian system posed risks to NATO defense systems and the F-35 program.
Washington subsequently removed Türkiye from the F-35 program and imposed sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Ankara has long sought to resolve the dispute and return to the F-35 program. Yet, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering allowing Türkiye to rejoin the F-35 program at the NATO summit in Ankara in July.
Speaking alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Presidential Complex after arriving in Ankara for the summit, Trump said the time had come to remove sanctions that have strained relations between the two NATO allies.
“We’re going to lift the sanctions,” Trump said. “We don’t want to sanction our friends. I don’t want to choke my friend with sanctions.”
Calling Türkiye a militarily powerful country under Erdoğan’s leadership, Trump remarked that relations between Washington and Ankara were at their strongest point in years.
Yemen is seeking to expand cooperation with Türkiye to rebuild state institutions and improve essential public services as the war-torn country grapples with persistent security and humanitarian challenges, Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba said.
Al-Zouba made the remarks during a meeting with Türkiye’s Ambassador to Riyadh, Emrullah Işler, Yemen’s official SABA news agency reported.
The two officials discussed recent developments in Yemen and the wider region, as well as ways to strengthen bilateral relations and broaden cooperation.
Al-Zouba praised Türkiye’s support for Yemen and its internationally recognized government, including Ankara’s backing for the Presidential Leadership Council.
She stressed the importance of strengthening political and diplomatic coordination between Türkiye and Yemen amid regional and international developments, saying closer ties could support efforts to rebuild state institutions and bolster regional security and stability.
The Yemeni government is particularly interested in expanding cooperation with Türkiye in strengthening state institutions and improving basic services to help ease hardships facing the population, al-Zouba said.
The foreign minister also raised the impact of Houthi attacks on security in Yemen and the wider region, including threats to international trade and maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
She warned that indiscriminate missile launches by the Houthis posed growing risks to civil aviation and international air travel, saying weapons that fail to distinguish between civilian and military targets endanger passenger aircraft and civilian lives.
Işler, for his part, reiterated Türkiye’s support for the Yemeni government and for Yemen’s security, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation and supporting the Yemeni government’s efforts to rebuild state institutions and restore security and stability.
Türkiye’s National Security Council (MGK) on Wednesday called for an end to the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and a return to negotiations, warning that continued fighting risks creating a cycle of conflict with increasingly serious global consequences.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chaired the council to discuss Türkiye’s national security priorities and a series of regional and international conflicts, according to a statement released by the Communications Directorate after the meeting.
Officials briefed the council on ongoing operations at home and abroad against threats to Türkiye’s national unity and security, particularly the PKK/KCK-PYD/YPG, Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh terrorist organizations, as well as recent international developments.
The MGK also reviewed progress under the Terror-Free Türkiye and Terror-Free Region initiatives, reaffirming Ankara’s determination to continue efforts aimed at strengthening the security of Türkiye and the wider region.
The council said Türkiye would continue pursuing policies aimed at contributing to the peace, security and prosperity of neighboring countries.
Syria featured prominently in the discussions, with the council reviewing what it described as positive developments in strengthening the country’s unity and territorial integrity, extending state authority nationwide and advancing the integration process.
Türkiye will continue supporting the Syrian people as they rebuild their country and strengthen relations with the international community, the statement said.
The council also underlined the importance of stability in Iraq, describing peace and security in the neighboring country as critical to the wider region.
It welcomed the Iraqi government’s efforts to strengthen state sovereignty throughout the country and reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to advancing strategic cooperation with Baghdad.
Turning to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, the MGK warned that continued hostilities were developing into a cycle of confrontation that was deepening existing regional vulnerabilities.
The council urged the parties to return to negotiations and end the conflict, warning that its global repercussions were becoming progressively more serious.
The MGK separately addressed developments in Gaza and Lebanon, saying Israel had continued its attacks without fulfilling its commitments and obligations toward establishing peace.
It called on the international community to take concrete action against Israeli policies that Türkiye says are obstructing regional stability, including violations of Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The council also reviewed the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war, focusing particularly on attacks against civilian infrastructure and navigation routes and their regional and global repercussions.
Pointing to signs of uncontrolled escalation and the potential spread of the conflict, the MGK called on both sides to exercise restraint and pursue a cease-fire.
The meeting also addressed escalating tensions in Yemen, with the council warning that recent developments were increasing security risks across the region, particularly for neighboring countries.
It stressed that restoring calm in Yemen was also important for global stability and called for tensions to be brought under control without delay.
The MGK reiterated Türkiye’s determination to combat terrorism while pursuing regional diplomacy, stability and cooperation across neighboring countries and conflict zones.
New Welfare Party (YRP) Deputy Chair Doğan Bekin resigned from his post on Wednesday, at a news conference where he revealed a row with Suat Kılıç, another deputy chair of the opposition party.
Rumors were circulating about the possible resignation of Bekin and a switch to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) for a while, but the politician revealed at the news conference in Ankara that he would remain in the party. Media outlets had earlier revealed that Bekin was not on good terms with Kılıç, a former minister who joined the YRP from the AK Party, for a while, and their differences of opinion further worsened in recent days. Bekin was quoted as saying that Kılıç opposed the terror-free Türkiye initiative and urged him to vote against a bill to facilitate the process involving the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK.
The YRP supported the AK Party in the 2023 presidential elections and is chaired by Fatih Erbakan, son of the late prime minister Necmettin Erbakan, political mentor of the AK Party Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Bekin said Erbakan asked him to leave the post of deputy chair and member of the Central Executive Committee of the party. He said he spent his early years within the National View (the political movement led by Necmettin Erbakan) and had major disagreements with Suat Kılıç over the latter’s books where he does not have “good things to say about Necmettin Erbakan.” He said he asked Kılıç to apologize for what he wrote about Erbakan, but he refused.
When asked whether he would resign from the party, Bekin replied: “I will not act on my own regarding resignation. There are 117,500 voters who cast their ballots for me. There is a moral responsibility toward them. There are responsibilities placed on me by the local party organizations. We have colleagues, we have friends. I will under no circumstances take action without first consulting these brothers and sisters of ours who voted for us, worked for us, poured their hearts out day and night, and came to work in the campaign squares day and night doing local door-to-door outreach even while unable to take a bite of bread home. I will follow the process and act accordingly.”
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.
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