Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, detained in judicial operations targeting municipalities run by the opposition CHP, has been released from custody. Köseler is the first mayor to be released among 16 who remain under arrest.
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| District mayor released in Turkey’s opposition crackdown District mayor released in Turkey’s opposition crackdown |
In a significant development today (September 5th) a court in Istanbul has granted release to Alaattin Köseler, the mayor of Beykoz district, along with 12 others who had been detained following a wave of operations targeting CHP-controlled municipalities. Köseler, a member of Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is yet to be acquitted.
Köseler and his co-defendants appeared before the judge for the first time on 2 September 2025, following their removal from office and arrest. Today, the prosecution delivered its closing argument. Taking into account defence statements, the strength of the evidence, and the duration of pre-trial detention, the Istanbul Anadolu 17th High Criminal Court decided to release the detained individuals.
Köseler’s trial proceedings
Alaattin Köseler and 26 others were arrested on charges of “bid rigging, forming or aiding a criminal organization, and aggravated fraud.”
The prosecution alleged widespread procurement irregularities across the municipality’s subsidiaries and departments. The indictment stated that tenders breached transparency, competition, and confidentiality rules, with contracts allegedly rotated among interconnected firms. Several companies were linked through shared addresses, family links, or business partnerships.
Investigators also claimed that goods and services were recorded as delivered before tenders were held, while municipal records showed payments for items that never arrived.
Prosecutors are seeking prison terms ranging from 17 years and 6 months to 67 years and 3 months for Köseler.
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16 mayors remain under arrest
In the 2024 local elections, the CHP achieved a historic victory, defeating the nation’s 22-year ruling party and, symbolically, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Capturing 37.7% of the vote, the CHP secured a nationwide plurality for the first time since 1977, prompting Erdoğan to deliver the first concession speech of his tenure.
Following CHP’s nationwide victory, President Erdoğan initially appeared calm and composed despite his party’s lackluster performance. That changed, however, with the October 2024 appointment of Akın Gürlek as Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor. Shortly after Gürlek took office, Esenyurt district Mayor Ahmet Özer was detained in the early morning hours and later arrested on terrorism charges. His post was handed over to a government-appointed trustee—a practice long associated with eastern, Kurdish-majority provinces, but unprecedented in Istanbul.
Although Ahmet Özer’s arrest did not not immediately signal that Turkey was on the precipice of a new chapter in its political history, the appointment of Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor, Akın Gürlek, appeared to bring urgency to the institution, and as of the time of writing this article, 15 mayors and one proxy mayor had been arrested—most of them from the CHP.
Among those arrested are, first and foremost, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Antalya Mayor Muhittin Böcek, Adana Mayor Zeydan Karalar, as well as the mayors of several Istanbul districts.
Written/translated for Medyascope by Can Kiremitçi
