Istanbul mayor staff face dozens of corruption arrest warrants
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Turkish authorities have issued 47 new arrest warrants linked to corruption probes in Istanbul, targeting officials close to the jailed mayor.
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Supporters chant slogans as they gather outside Silivri Prison, where a hearing is taking place for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in one of multiple cases against him, west of Istanbul, Turkey, on April 11, 2025 (AP)
Turkish authorities have issued 47 arrest warrants targeting municipal officials and staff across Istanbul, as part of a broader investigation into alleged corruption at City Hall, Anadolu reported on Saturday.
The move comes amid what many describe as a sweeping crackdown on figures linked to Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been imprisoned since March.
According to the state-run agency, the warrants are connected to "four separate corruption investigations centred on Istanbul." The report did not disclose how many individuals have been detained so far under the new warrants.
The March 19 arrest of Imamoglu, the main political rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, triggered the largest street protests the country has seen in decades.
Since then, police have detained nearly 70 individuals in raids tied to the corruption probes. Among those arrested are Imamoglu’s private secretary and his protection officer.
Anadolu noted that the latest warrants target a former opposition lawmaker and five district mayors from Istanbul.
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The private broadcaster Halk TV, aligned with the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), reported that nine district mayors, out of Istanbul’s 39, are now in custody.
Imamoglu, a member of the CHP, has been nominated as the party’s candidate in the upcoming 2028 presidential elections. His jailing has raised concerns among rights groups and international observers over political repression and the erosion of judicial independence in Turkey.
As of Saturday, the CHP has not issued an official response to the latest wave of arrest warrants.
Additionally, it is worth noting that earlier this month, social media platform X blocked access to the account of Imamoglu in Turkey following a legal demand that drew widespread attention. Users attempting to view the page from within Turkey were met with a message stating that the account “has been withheld in TR in response to a legal demand,” though no further explanation was provided.
According to Turkish daily Milliyet, the decision to withhold Imamoglu’s account was the result of a court order that was subsequently forwarded to Turkey’s telecommunications regulator and inspection authority, BTK, and to X.
