Mayor Alaattin Köseler was also detained as part of an investigation into corruption.
On Thursday, the Turkish police detained 21 persons, including the mayor of the municipality and the Beykoz district, who is a representative of the strongest opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the country. TASR informs about this on the basis of a DPA report citing Turkish media.
Mayor Alaattin Köseler was – like the remaining suspects – detained in the framework of investigating alleged illegal manipulation of tenders. In the intervention in Beykoze, which belongs to the Istanbul province, the police searched the building of the local municipal office, where she allegedly confiscated documents related to the case.
CHP condemned police intervention as politically motivated
CHP condemned the intervention as politically motivated. The leader of this party Özgür Özel on the X Social Network X described the mayor’s detention as an attempt to intimidate elected officials.
DPA explains that the latest raids come at the time of increasingly frequent legal interventions against opposition mayors and representatives of regional local governments. The government critics consider such steps as part of the government campaign to discredit the Istanbul Mayor and Ekrem Imamogl, who is considered potential challenger of President Tayyip Erdogan. presidential elections.
CHP achieved significant profits in Istanbul IV in the municipal elections in 2024, including large cities, which was a relatively great failure for Erdogan’s ruling justice and development party (AKP).
