İstanbul dismissed mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has denounced a new wave of corruption investigations targeting municipal officials, accusing Turkish authorities of coercing detainees into giving false testimony through threats and blackmail in what he describes as a politically driven operation.
In a strongly worded statement posted from his official presidential campaign account on Tuesday, İmamoğlu responded to what he called the “third wave” of a judicial campaign against the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), after prosecutors ordered the detention of 22 people, including his close aide Taner Çetin.
“This nation will not fall for testimonies obtained under threats, just as they did not fall for your fabricated cases,” İmamoğlu said, urging citizens to share his message. “Now it’s clear: they are forcing detainees into false witness statements through blackmail.”
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced earlier on Tuesday that it had launched a new operation in a long-running corruption investigation into İBB contracts. The probe centres on alleged irregularities involving Medya A.Ş. and Kültür A.Ş., two municipal media and cultural companies.
Taner Çetin, head of İBB’s Press and Public Relations Department and a long-time associate of İmamoğlu from his days as Beylikdüzü district mayor, is accused of rigging tenders to benefit affiliated firms in exchange for bribes.
According to the prosecutor’s statement, Çetin allegedly amassed properties using funds indirectly transferred from companies awarded İBB contracts. Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) reported that some of the payments were directly made by firms working with the two municipal companies.
Authorities said that these payments were also used to transfer funds to other personnel employed in the same municipal subsidiaries. Prosecutors ordered raids at several locations, the seizure of assets, and the detention of 22 individuals identified as suspects in the tender and bribery network.
In his response, İmamoğlu listed a series of previous allegations levelled against him and the municipality that were ultimately discredited, including claims of illicit property deals, hidden cash in municipal vehicles, and connections to terrorism.
“Everything they claimed turned out to be fabricated,” İmamoğlu stated. “They accused us of sending cash abroad in hearses – the vehicles never even left the country. They said we handed out free villas – there was only a deposit.”
The latest wave of investigations comes as Turkey heads into a high-stakes local election cycle, with İmamoğlu, a key figure in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), expected to challenge the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in İstanbul, a symbolic stronghold.
Critics have long accused the government of using the judiciary to undermine opposition figures. İmamoğlu has already faced legal challenges, including a conviction for insulting election officials, which briefly threatened his eligibility to run for office.
“İstanbul is being targeted because it is not under their control,” İmamoğlu said. “This isn’t justice—it’s a smear campaign disguised as law.”
The mayor concluded with a poetic reference dating back over a century: “You think everyone is blind and the world is foolish? The truth will always come out.”
