Politics
Türkiye cracks down on tentacles of corruption octopus with new ops
A fifth wave of operations centered on Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) led to the detention of 34 people as of Sunday. Authorities have launched anti-corruption operations on Saturday and raided 47 locations. Seven suspects remain at large.
CHP-run municipalities are accused of taking bribes and irregularities in public tenders. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has recently described operations and allegations as “tentacles of an octopus” stretching across many administrative bodies running the municipalities.
Although CHP-run municipalities were already under investigation and several mayors were detained for corruption last year, IBB has been under the spotlight as its high-profile mayor was arrested in March on graft charges. Digging deeper into an alleged criminal network run by former Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu and expanding another investigation linked to a businessman who was awarded a lucrative contract by district municipalities, investigators launched Saturday’s operations against municipality officials, mayors and a former CHP lawmaker. Operations are the culmination of four separate investigations and are mainly based on the confessions of Aziz Ihsan Aktaş, a businessman identified as the head of a criminal network active in municipalities. Aktaş’s confessions unveiled the scale of corruption at IBB, the municipality of Beşiktaş, whose mayor was detained last year, and at Büyükçekmece Municipality, whose mayor, Hasan Akgün, was detained on Saturday. The investigation also extended to Adana, a southern province; the mayors of Adana’s Seyhan and Ceyhan municipalities were also detained.
Among other prominent names in the case are Aykut Erdoğdu, a former lawmaker for CHP, the party’s assembly member Baki Aydöner, mayors of Istanbul’s Avcılar and Gaziosmanpaşa districts, and the head of ISFALT, an asphalt production subsidiary of IBB.
Media outlets reported on Sunday that a search of premises owned by some suspects led to the discovery of a large cache of dollars and gold, including a search of the residences of Akgün and his son-in-law.
The Sabah newspaper reported that Aktaş appealed to authorities on April 30 to benefit from leniency in sentencing in exchange for collaboration with authorities. Aktaş, who was arrested on Jan. 17, detailed how municipalities that awarded contracts to his companies enriched themselves in the process. He confessed that he paid bribes to mayors and deputy mayors to win tenders and, in some cases, had to buy properties or vehicles belonging to those people at prices far higher than their real value, instead of paying them bribes in cash, in order to avoid detection. Aktaş said he was also forced to make additional payments and donate vehicles to mayoral candidates of the CHP before the 2024 municipal polls, to be used in their election campaigns. He said he also paid bribes to numerous municipal officials for the acquisition of a valuable plot of land in the district of Gaziosmanpaşa.
Waves of corruption
The CHP has claimed that anti-graft operations against municipalities were politically motivated, but officials deny it and point to the independence of the judiciary, which carries out the operations. In the first wave of 2025 operations against municipalities, Imamoğlu and 105 others were detained on March 19 and remain incarcerated in pretrial detention. Looking to earn popularity for Imamoğlu, the CHP has declared him its presidential candidate for the upcoming elections, although annulment of his university diploma days before his detention over irregularities made the former mayor ineligible to run for top office.
In the second wave of operations on April 25, 50 people were detained, including the head of IBB’s water utility and other top municipal officials. On May 22, authorities ordered the detention of 22 suspects in an investigation into irregular public tenders by IBB’s media and culture subsidiaries. Two days later, seven more people were detained and subsequently arrested over corruption in tenders by another IBB subsidiary. Investigation expanded on May 23 and led to the detention of 44 people working at IBB’s other subsidiaries and people associated with them.
According to Sabah’s report, authorities also investigated the 2019 celebrations for Republic Day organized by the Beşiktaş municipality. Four municipal officials, including the current deputy mayors of Avcılar and Büyükçekmece, are accused of conspiring to commit corruption by awarding the contract for organizing the celebrations to a front company and squandering public resources in the process.
The report says recent detentions include two owners of a company that was awarded a lucrative contract by IBB. CHP’s deputy chair, Özgür Karabat, serves as financial consultant for the company, which earned more than TL 19 billion in tenders in the past five years.
According to the Sabah report, former lawmaker Erdoğdu is accused of acting as an intermediary for bribe takers and companies paying bribes. The report says Erdoğdu oversaw the payment of bribes to an IBB subsidiary.
In a speech last week, President Erdoğan hit out at CHP for defending Imamoğlu and others detained on corruption charges.
“If you don’t work for the nation, you are either a ‘rantçı’ (profiteer) or a ‘bantçı’ (someone who uses tape to conceal something),” to the applause of the audience. “Bantçı” in this case refers to a bodyguard of Imamoğlu who was captured in footage as he put tape on security cameras before Imamoğlu’s secretive meeting at a hotel with fellow bureaucrats of IBB. Media outlets reported that the footage emerged in the investigation into the former mayor’s alleged wrongdoings, raising suspicions about the nature of the meeting, which was followed and preceded by more at the same hotel. Some reports claimed that the meeting and others were the venue of discussions on how to share illegal profits Imamoğlu and others gained through graft, from rigging public tenders to bribery in exchange for building permits.
“You see what happened to profiteers, you see what state they drove Istanbul into. We witnessed how they terrorized the squares. They do not tolerate anyone other than themselves. They try to bully anyone who disagrees with them, they attack anyone who does not side with thieves,” Erdoğan said. The CHP held pro-Imamoğlu rallies, claiming the innocence of the mayor, after Imamoğlu’s arrest in March. Rallies in Istanbul and other cities escalated into violent riots. The CHP supporters also launched social media campaigns against celebrities not endorsing the rallies, while the party’s leader, Özgür Özel, called for a boycott of companies he accused of serving the government’s interests, as well as against broadcasters not broadcasting the rallies live.
The president stated that they witnessed a new act of corruption surfacing “almost every day” in the investigation into what he called a criminal organization. “You see how they looted Istanbul’s resources. (The authorities) reveal tentacles of an octopus extending from Istanbul to other cities, to abroad. Their own friends confess how they extorted money and received bribes,” Erdoğan said.
Ertan Yıldız, a top IBB bureaucrat, has also recently collaborated with authorities and unveiled a scheme of tender rigging and bribes organized by Imamoğlu and his associates at the municipality.
“Their former partners in crime speak about cash carried by suitcases, about a mob order established in Istanbul. But the CHP has no shame. They are supposed to apologize to the people of Istanbul they betrayed, but instead, they threaten judges and prosecutors and journalists,” Erdoğan said, referring to past remarks by Özel and other top names of the CHP who threatened judiciary members with being tried in the future for the investigation into Imamoğlu’s alleged wrongdoings.
“Their friends who confess are accused of defaming (the detained municipal officials). Özgür Özel is acting like a messenger for a criminal organization, not as a main opposition leader. It is worrying. It is worrying to see this sorry state the CHP was pushed to,” Erdoğan said.
“You can’t remove this stain of corruption. You can’t escape being held accountable. The Turkish judiciary’s job is to stop hands from stealing from public funds. We will not turn a blind eye to this banditry. Nor will we leave our Istanbul to its fate,” Erdoğan added.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (IBB) council on Wednesday debated the Audit Commission’s 2025 report, with opposition members alleging widespread irregularities, mounting debt and declining service quality, while municipal officials defended their record.
The second session of the April council meetings, chaired by Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan, was held at the municipality’s headquarters in Istanbul’s Saraçhane district.
During the session, Muhammet Kaynar, a council member from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and a member of the Audit Commission, said the body had identified a total of 346 irregularities over the past five years, including 44 findings in the 2025 report alone.
Kaynar argued that previously identified irregularities had not been addressed by the municipal administration. “Despite these findings, the same irregular practices have continued,” he said, adding that the municipality had failed to provide sufficient explanations regarding past audit results.
He also highlighted the municipality’s financial structure, saying that of the TL 275.4 billion (approximately $8.5 billion) in revenue recorded in 2025, approximately 86.6% came from transfers from the central government. The figure represents a 53.1% increase compared with the previous year, he said.
“Despite this level of support from the central administration, there is no visible improvement in services,” Kaynar said.
Kaynar added that the municipality had sold real estate assets worth nearly TL 5 billion in 2025 but claimed this had not translated into improved public services.
He further criticized the administration for failing to provide detailed accounting records requested by the commission. According to Kaynar, journal entries related to 2025 financial accounts were not submitted, preventing the commission from examining whether project-based borrowing was used appropriately, how much credit had been utilized and how those funds were spent.
Addressing the municipality’s debt, Kaynar said total liabilities had risen sharply over recent years. As of Dec. 31, 2025, IBB’s total debt stood at approximately TL 261.9 billion, up from TL 26.7 billion at the end of 2018.
“In seven years, the debt has increased by nearly 1,000%,” he said.
Including affiliated institutions, the combined debt of IBB, the Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration (ISKI) and the public transport authority IETT reached TL 336.9 billion, Kaynar said, adding that data on the debts of 31 municipal companies had not been shared with the commission.
The council also discussed IETT’s 2025 activity report, drawing criticism from opposition parties over public transport performance.
Dursun Çağlayan, deputy group chairperson of the Great Unity Party (BBP), said the report reflected systemic management problems rather than isolated shortcomings.
“There is not a single issue here, but a structural problem,” Çağlayan said, citing findings in a report by Türkiye’s Court of Accounts, which identified 68 issues, including six deemed critical.
He said service disruptions, delays and declining passenger comfort were highlighted in the report. “Citizens go to bus stops, but the buses do not arrive,” he said.
Çağlayan also pointed to a lack of investment in new vehicles and inadequate maintenance of the existing fleet, saying the institution itself had acknowledged that it had not reached its vehicle procurement targets.
“The system is being managed on a day-to-day basis rather than with long-term planning,” he said. “The financial structure is unsustainable, service quality is declining, and transparency is lacking.”
Members of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) echoed similar concerns, focusing on unmet investment targets and worsening traffic conditions.
Council member Şule Hayal said the IETT report showed that several key goals had not been achieved, including the procurement of new buses and the expansion of electric vehicle systems.
“Out of a targeted 555 new vehicles, none were purchased. Out of a planned 50 electric bus conversions, none were completed,” she said.
Hayal also criticized the municipality for failing to increase the number of sheltered bus stops, noting that none of the 300 planned stops had been built.
She said the lack of investment in transportation had contributed to worsening traffic in Istanbul, citing international data indicating that the city ranks among the most congested in the world.
“Residents spend an average of 118 hours a year, nearly five days in traffic,” she said.
Traffic congestion levels have exceeded 90%, she added, transforming what was once rush-hour congestion into a persistent, all-day problem.
Hayal also raised concerns about unpaid dues to private public bus operators, saying they had faced financial hardship due to delays in receiving payments.
“We reiterate our call for the necessary steps to be taken to ensure that these payments are made and that operators are no longer victimized,” she said.
She noted that the cost of public transport had risen significantly, with ticket prices increasing from TL 2.60 in 2019 to TL 42 in 2026, a rise of more than 1,500%.
Despite the sharp fare increases, revenues have not kept pace with expenditures, remaining at roughly one-third of total costs, she said.
Tensions flared in Cyprus’ U.N.-controlled buffer zone village of Pyla, the island’s only mixed Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot settlement, after a dispute over livestock inspections led to a brief standoff involving Turkish Cypriot police and U.N. peacekeepers.
The incident began when Greek Cypriot authorities sought to inspect animal pens located in an area administered by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), citing concerns over a recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the south.
Turkish Cypriot officials rejected the move, saying the Greek Cypriot veterinarians lacked authorization to enter TRNC territory.
Police set up a temporary checkpoint near the boundary and blocked access to the area, escalating tensions between the sides.
Greek Cypriot officials argued that products from the livestock, including milk, were being sold across the divide, necessitating health inspections. They also sought assistance from the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), which deployed personnel to the area, describing the zone as disputed.
The situation prompted reports in Greek Cypriot media claiming that Turkish tanks were moving toward the area, raising fears of a military escalation.
However, U.N. spokesperson Alim Siddiqi denied the claims, saying no tanks or armored vehicles had been observed.
“As the United Nations, we did not see any tanks or armored vehicles, and there was no clash between U.N. forces and Turkish troops,” Siddiqi said.
He suggested the reports may have stemmed from a misunderstanding, noting that only civilian-type sport utility vehicles were present, parked outside the buffer zone.
On the other hand, most recently, a group of Greek Cypriot extremists tried to attack Turkish Cypriots on the buffer zone, during a rally to celebrate the anniversary of EOKA, a terrorist faction known for massacres of Turkish Cypriots during the second half of the 20th century.
Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said in a statement that the Greek Cypriot side was still dominated by the EOKA mindset, and he condemned “this fascist act.”
“Attacks on our flag are an attack on our nation, and it cannot be tolerated,” he said. “Turkish Cypriots have the power to protect their sacred symbols as they did in the past,” he underlined.
The incident came roughly one week after a Greek Cypriot military official openly targeted the TRNC in provocative remarks, when he voiced hope to mark future Easters in “occupied homeland,” referring to the Turkish Cypriot side.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday urged the parties in the U.S.-Israel-Iran war to proceed with cease-fire talks. “You can’t negotiate with clenched fists; the window of opportunity for a cease-fire should be taken advantage of,” he told the parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara.
“Israel is not satisfied with the cease-fire. It should not be allowed to undermine the process,” he said.
Erdoğan also hit back at the Israeli administration, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insulted the Turkish president on social media. “Nobody can wag a finger at Türkiye,” he said.
The Turkish leader said that Türkiye is making the “necessary appeals and initiatives” to reduce tensions, extend the cease-fire, and continue talks over the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
“The Israeli government, which is known to be unhappy with the cease-fire process, must not be allowed to sabotage it,” Erdoğan added.
Erdoğan also praised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, saying he “congratulates from the heart my dear friend Sanchez, who has taken a firm stance against the threats of butcher Netanyahu in Gaza.”
Regarding regional stability, he said: “If there is to be peace in our region, it will be despite the Zionist regime. If stability is achieved, it will again be despite the Israeli government.”
“We will continue to call the oppressor an oppressor, the pirate a pirate, and the killer a killer, and to be the voice of the children of Gaza and to listen to the cries of mothers whose hearts are burning,” he added.
Erdoğan said Türkiye would also “continue to defend the rights of our brothers whose lands are occupied in the West Bank and to be the follower of the cause of children killed in their sleep in Lebanon.”
“We are always ready to be the voice of peace and to lead peace efforts with the principle of peace at home, peace in the region, and peace in the world,” he stressed.
Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism directed at him and Türkiye, Erdoğan said: “I remind the ‘baby killers’ who speak against me and our country of some facts: The Republic of Türkiye is not an ordinary state.”
Türkiye is a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause and often voices opposition to the genocide being committed by Israel, with which it has cut off ties. The principled stand against the genocide in Gaza and aggressive expansionism by Israel in Lebanon and elsewhere gave rise to further hostility against Türkiye by the Netanyahu administration. The Israeli prime minister often targets Erdoğan through social media posts while pro-Netanyahu media outlets in Israel speculate that the two countries may engage in an all-out conflict in the near future.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday slammed Netanyahu for remarks targeting Erdogan, saying targeting the Turkish leader is a result of “the discomfort caused by the truths we have expressed on every platform.”
Netanyahu, who is called the Adolf Hitler of this era due to his crimes, is known for his records, said the ministry in a statement. Noting the arrest warrant that has been issued for Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the statement warned about Netanyahu’s attempts, which aim to undermine the ongoing peace talks and continue his expansionist policies in the region. The statement further reiterated Türkiye’s determination in its efforts to hold Netanyahu accountable for his crimes, along with supporting innocent civilians.
To the applause of the AK Party supporters, Erdoğan delivered a lengthy speech peppered with verses from the national anthem, challenging Israel’s threats.
He stated that their calm and prudent demeanor should not be mistaken for weakness, emphasizing that they would consider it a great honor to lie beneath the soil with dignity rather than live dishonorably above it. “We are the children of a heroic nation whose National Anthem begins with ‘Do not fear.”
Erdoğan underlined that humanity’s longing for peace, stability, security and a measure of tranquility is being undermined by circles that thrive on bloodshed and chaos, adding that the most recent example is the unlawful war that began on Feb 28 and brought the region to the brink. He stated that over time, it has become clear who wanted the war, who provoked it and who profited from it. The president said their early assessment regarding the role of the Zionist lobby has proven justified.
Turkish-Kurdish unity
Netanyahu’s remarks on social media have accused Türkiye of “massacring Kurds.”
Erdoğan hit back at the allegation while touting the terror-free Türkiye initiative. The initiative, launched by Türkiye two years ago, aims to disarm the PKK terrorist group, which has killed tens of thousands of people since the 1980s under the pretext of fighting for the rights of Türkiye’s Kurdish community.
Erdoğan highlighted that the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood was “a thousand-year-old” and noted that the terror-free Türkiye initiative was the nation’s “best line of defense for unity at a time of exposure of dirty plots,” he said.
“Those disturbed by the initiative no longer hide their opposition. Those with the blood of 73,000 Gazans in their hands are not ashamed of defaming our country by using the name of our Kurdish brothers.”
Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is facing growing internal tensions as allegations of corruption and a wave of expulsions deepen divisions within the party, according to statements from party figures and local media reports.
According to Sabah newspaper, the developments come as CHP leadership has repeatedly denied allegations linked to ongoing corruption investigations involving party-affiliated municipalities. Despite rejecting the claims, critics within the party say members who have called for internal accountability are being sidelined or expelled.
Özgür Özel, who has led the party since late 2023, recently reiterated a pledge to introduce a “political ethics law,” emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in public office. However, some former members argue that this stance contradicts actions taken within the party.
Among the critics is Gürsel Tekin, who said a significant number of members have been expelled during Özel’s tenure without clear justification. Tekin claimed that more than 1,600 individuals were removed after voicing concerns about alleged misconduct or calling for reform.
Other figures, including journalist Mustafa Yavuz, also criticized the leadership, saying internal dissent has been suppressed. Yavuz argued that those advocating for reform have been excluded, raising concerns about internal party democracy.
The party has not publicly detailed the reasons behind the reported expulsions, and officials have not responded directly to the specific allegations raised by former members.
More than 20 mayors governing CHP municipalities were detained or arrested in the past two years on charges of corruption, along with dozens of municipal bureaucrats.
Another challenge for the CHP is a trial on vote-buying allegations regarding the intra-party election in 2023 that brought Özel to power. A recent hearing on the trial has been postponed to May 6. In the trial, Özel and his associates are accused of buying votes of delegates to oust former Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
Bulgaria will hold yet another election on April 19. The eighth vote in six years is crucial for the Turkish community in the Balkan country. Associations founded in Türkiye by the Bulgarian Turkish community with dual citizenship seek to promote voting among the community.
Şükrü Ar, chair of Balkan Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (BALTÜRK), told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they attached importance to voting for fair representation of Turks in the Bulgarian Parliament. Ar noted that turnout decreased in subsequent elections, as people were tired of having one after another since 2020. “The turnout dropped as low as 30%. None of the governments winning the elections managed to be lasting. Coalition governments collapsed repeatedly,” he lamented.
Ar said on Wednesday that Bulgaria also limited the number of ballot boxes for elections in countries outside the European Union, citing a recent amendment to electoral laws. He said people were still willing to vote.
“As BALTÜRK, we will be working intensely on that day, but we have already planned what needs to be done beforehand to encourage our people and get them to the polls. We will have shuttle services in coordination with our Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality,” he said, referring to the city where the association is based and host to a community with dual citizenship.
“We will hold one-on-one meetings. We will encourage voting. We will provide all kinds of assistance to our citizens. If necessary, we will transport them in personal vehicles. We will meet all their needs,” he said.
Ar, noting that electronic voting is used in Bulgarian elections, said they would also provide assistance to voters for this process.
Touching upon the fact that most people have dozens or even hundreds of relatives still living in Bulgaria, Ar said: “Our relatives living there, and the Turkish and Muslim community living there, have acquired rights, and there are more rights that need to be acquired. The stronger we stand in Türkiye, and if we go to the ballot box to cast our vote without saying ‘it’s just one vote,’ our Turkish and Muslim community living in Bulgaria, who use their acquired rights and need to reclaim even more, will be stronger. They will feel our support better. Therefore, we must absolutely go to the polls.”
Ragıp Çavuş, one of the dual citizens, stated that he has voted in all Bulgarian elections and noted that every single vote is important for both protecting existing rights in Bulgaria and gaining new ones.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to the upcoming NATO and COP31 summits in Ankara while highlighting strong cooperation potential in defense, energy and aviation, the Presidential Communications Directorate said Wednesday.
In a phone call with Carney, Erdoğan stressed that Türkiye places great importance on advancing ties with Canada and pointed to significant opportunities for cooperation, particularly in the defense industry, energy and air transportation sectors.
He also reaffirmed Türkiye’s continued efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region, noting that Ankara and Ottawa share aligned views on many global and regional issues.
The Turkish president expressed Ankara’s intention to host Carney for an official visit before the end of 2026, according to the statement.
Türkiye will host the leaders’ summit of the alliance for the second time in more than two decades. Heads of state and top figures from member countries will be in the capital Ankara for the summit scheduled to be held on July 7-8. Some 6,000 participants are expected to attend the event.
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