A court in Istanbul ordered the arrest of Beyoğlu District Mayor İnan Güney and 16 others late Tuesday as part of an expanding corruption investigation targeting the opposition-controlled Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB).

The arrests have intensified political tensions, with the opposition accusing the government of orchestrating a judicial campaign to undermine its recent electoral successes.

Güney, a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was among 43 individuals detained on August 15. He faces charges of “membership in a criminal organization” and “fraud against public institutions,” according to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Also detained were Güney’s chief of staff Seyhan Özcan, his brother-in-law İsmail Akkaya, and his driver Deniz Göleli.

Following medical examinations, the suspects were brought to the Çağlayan Courthouse, where prosecutors requested the arrest of 20 individuals and judicial control measures for 24 others. The court ultimately ordered the formal arrest of 17 suspects, while 27 were released under judicial supervision, including travel bans and mandatory police check-ins.The investigation alleges connections to broader corruption networks, including one linked to Murat Ongun, the former İBB spokesperson and aide to opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been in pre-trial detention since March 23. Prosecutors also pointed to ties with Emrah Bağdatlı, a fugitive suspect in related cases.

The arrests have sparked sharp criticism from the CHP, which accuses the government of weaponizing the judiciary to target opposition figures. Speaking outside the courthouse, Istanbul CHP provincial chair Özgür Çelik condemned the judicial process, stating, “We witnessed something today that defies explanation in 21st-century Turkey. They arrested people using a copy-paste method.”

Güney has also been suspended from his mayoral duties pending the investigation. The Beyoğlu district municipal council, where the CHP holds a majority, will likely appoint a new acting mayor from the party.

The CHP has framed the probe as a politically motivated effort to weaken İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure seen as a potential rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The government has rejected these claims, insisting the investigations are independent and focused solely on upholding the law.

The case continues to unfold amid heightened scrutiny of Türkiye’s judicial system and its implications for the country’s political landscape. (ILKHA)