Overview

• Adana’s Zeydan Karalar, Adiyaman’s Abdurrahman Tutdere and Antalya’s Muhittin Bocek were detained Saturday by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
• Prosecutors say the three mayors and seven others face charges of organized crime, bribery and bid-rigging as part of a broader corruption probe that has already led to ten arrests.
• The operation follows the detention of former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer and more than 120 municipal officials earlier this week in investigations into alleged tender-rigging and fraud.
• Legal actions since March have targeted scores of CHP figures after the party’s significant gains in the 2024 local elections, including the high-profile jailing of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
• Under municipal law, suspended mayors are replaced by CHP-appointed deputies, but the continued arrests have raised concerns about judicial independence and Turkey’s democratic norms.