Turkish police detain 28 officials in fresh municipal corruption sweeps
Security forces arrested 28 municipal employees in Istanbul and Izmir, including a deputy mayor, as part of ongoing anti-corruption operations.
Police launched coordinated raids in Istanbul’s Esenyurt district and the Izmir-province town of Çeşme, detaining a total of 28 municipal officials on suspicion of corruption. The Istanbul operation captured 17 people, including Deputy Mayor Yusuf Ulutaş, former Deputy Mayor Ümit Ünal and a department head, accused of accepting bribes from contractors in municipal tenders. Two suspects remain at large.
In Çeşme, authorities seized 11 suspects, among them the acting head of the construction and urban planning department, for operating a bribery and forgery network. The investigation was triggered by a tip that an employee attempted to destroy documents to hide irregularities. Earlier this week, the Interior Ministry suspended four mayors and an acting mayor, including Mithat Bülent Özmen of Eyüpsultan and Murat Güneş of Ataşehir, as part of the anti-corruption drive. The raids highlight persistent concerns over municipal procurement and zoning practices in Turkey.
Why it matters
The arrests expose systemic corruption in local governments, raising questions about public procurement integrity.
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