Turkish authorities have detained the opposition mayor of Bayrampaşa, a district of Istanbul, along with dozens of municipal officials, in the latest wave of what the government calls anti-corruption operations targeting opposition-run local governments.
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| Istanbul opposition mayor detained as corruption probe continues Istanbul opposition mayor detained as corruption probe continues |
Hasan Mutlu, a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was taken into custody early Monday morning. Five of his deputies, five municipal councillors, and a total of 48 people were named in detention warrants issued by Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor.
The raids covered 72 locations, including homes and workplaces. Prosecutors allege the suspects engaged in embezzlement, bribery, abuse of public office, and rigging public tenders — charges that carry lengthy prison sentences if proven.
Mutlu: “My conscience is clear”
Before being led away by police, Mutlu posted a statement on social media denying any wrongdoing and describing the operation as politically motivated.
“I have never taken a step I cannot account for. My head is held high, my conscience is clear. What we are witnessing are slanders and political persecution,” he said.
Mutlu, 63, was elected in the March 2024 local elections, part of a CHP surge that consolidated the party’s control over Istanbul and other major cities. He won Bayrampaşa — a working-class district on the European side of Istanbul that had not been run by the CHP for three decades — with nearly 47% of the vote.
His victory was part of a broader urban trend: the CHP has become the dominant political force in Turkey’s major cities, posing the most serious electoral challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in more than two decades.
A familiar pattern
The arrest follows a series of probes into CHP-led municipalities, which critics say are aimed at weakening the opposition ahead of national elections expected in 2028. For Erdoğan’s opponents, the Bayrampaşa detentions represent another attempt to roll back opposition gains in Turkey’s largest city, where Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has become one of Erdoğan’s most formidable rivals.
Journalist İsmail Saymaz noted that the investigation comes after internal disputes within Bayrampaşa’s CHP administration. Two municipal councillors recently resigned from the party, publicly accusing Mutlu of corruption — allegations that may have paved the way for Monday’s raids.
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Nationalist party fallout
The probe has also ensnared members of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a coalition partner of Erdoğan’s AKP in parliament. The MHP leadership has launched disciplinary proceedings to expel those implicated, including Yasin Sönmez, MHP’s Deputy Provincial Chair for Istanbul.
Semih Yalçın, a senior MHP official, confirmed that a provincial board member and a Bayrampaşa district member had been referred for expulsion. “They have been sent to the disciplinary board with a demand for permanent dismissal,” he said.
The detention and disciplinary expulsion of MHP members is relatively uncommon. While corruption probes frequently target opposition figures, it is unusual for officials from coalition partners to be implicated.
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Defections from the CHP
The events coincided with another Istanbul political upheaval: Özlem Vural Gürzel, the acting mayor of Beykoz, defected from the CHP to the ruling AKP. Her resignation followed months of alleged verbal abuse and pressure from colleagues.
Beykoz’s mayor, Alaattin Köseler (CHP), was arrested on March 3, 2025, as part of the broader crackdown. He faces charges including forming a criminal organization, manipulating public tenders, aggravated fraud, and forgery of official documents. Following his arrest, Gürzel was appointed acting mayor.
Gürzel said she had found more support from AKP and MHP councillors in Beykoz than from her own party, a criticism that aligns with government narratives portraying the CHP as divided and dysfunctional.
Earlier this year, Özlem Çerçioğlu, the long-serving CHP mayor of Aydın, and several colleagues also defected from the party. While Çerçioğlu cited “anti-democratic practices” within the CHP as her reason for leaving, sources within the party alleged that prosecutors were preparing charges that could carry prison sentences, suggesting she was pressured to align with the ruling party for protection.
The wider crackdown
Since losing control of Turkey’s major cities in 2024, the AKP has repeatedly clashed with CHP-led administrations. Opposition mayors have faced budget cuts, hiring restrictions, audits of procurement, and, in some cases, government-appointed trustees replacing elected officials.
Critics argue that these measures undermine Turkey’s already fragile democracy by neutralizing opposition victories at the ballot box. The government maintains that it is enforcing the law and rooting out corruption.
It remains unclear how long Mutlu and the others will be held in custody or whether formal charges will follow. If prosecuted, trials could stretch on for years.
