Turkey: Erdogan’s police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe

Turkish authorities on Saturday detained the mayor of Istanbul’s Bayrampaşa district, Hasan Mutlu, along with 47 municipal officials, in a corruption probe targeting the opposition.

According to state broadcaster TRT Haber, Mutlu was arrested on charges of bribery, embezzlement, fraud, and bid rigging. Police raided 72 locations, seizing documents and taking several deputies into custody.

Mutlu denied the allegations on X, saying, “I have served only Bayrampaşa and you, my esteemed fellow citizens … What has happened consists of political operations and baseless slanders.”

He is the latest in a series of opposition figures to face arrest. More than a dozen mayors from the Republican People’s party (CHP), including Istanbul’s mayor and party leader Ekrem İmamoğlu, have been detained in recent months.

İmamoğlu, seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main rival, was arrested in March, sparking protests across Turkey. He is currently on trial for allegedly falsifying his university degree, with prosecutors seeking nearly nine years in jail and a political ban. His next hearing is set for October.

The CHP claims the arrests are part of a government effort to crush the opposition and clear the way for Erdoğan to extend his rule, possibly through early elections before 2028. The government rejects this, insisting Turkey’s courts act independently.

The crackdown comes after the CHP’s strong performance in last year’s local elections, where it held onto Istanbul and Ankara while also making gains in traditional AK Party strongholds.

In a key case due in Ankara on Monday, a civil court will decide whether to annul the CHP’s 2023 congress — a ruling that could reshape the party’s leadership and deepen internal divisions ahead of future elections.