Turkish authorities have arrested businessman Kemal Şahin as part of a bribery probe targeting the opposition-run Büyükçekmece Municipality in İstanbul, Turkish media reported on Friday.
The arrest comes amid a broader wave of investigations into municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which scored major electoral victories in Turkey’s 2024 local elections.
İstanbul prosecutors launched the investigation into alleged corruption related to construction permits issued between January 1, 2015, and May 7, 2025.
Şahin, chairman of Şahinler Holding with business interests in both Germany and Turkey, was detained on May 9 on suspicion of offering bribes to municipal officials.
He was questioned by prosecutors and then referred to a court, which ordered his pretrial detention.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the full list of construction projects approved during the 10-year period, including the names of contractors and whether required permits were issued.
The Büyükçekmece Municipality denied any wrongdoing but confirmed that all requested documents would be shared with investigators.
The CHP, which governs the municipality, has not publicly commented on Şahin’s arrest, which follows a series of police operations against CHP-run cities in recent weeks. Critics say they are part of a politically motivated crackdown.
In a separate case, İstanbul’s Beykoz district mayor Alaattin Köseler faces up to 67 years in prison on charges including bid rigging, fraud and forgery.
Prosecutors allege Köseler led a criminal network inside the municipality, with his chief of staff and other aides acting as senior members.
Thirteen people, including Köseler, were arrested in March following raids by İstanbul police.
In the Beşiktaş and Beykoz districts of İstanbul, deputy mayors were arrested last month over allegations of bribery and rigged public tenders.
Ekrem İmamoğlu, İstanbul’s jailed mayor and the CHP’s candidate for president, was arrested on March 23, triggering mass protests nationwide.
Since October, at least four CHP mayors and dozens of officials have been jailed.
The Interior Ministry has opened probes or audits into more than 20 CHP-run municipalities.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling party suffered a historic defeat in the March 2024 local elections, losing control of other key cities after the opposition wrested control of İstanbul and Ankara in 2019.
The CHP garnered a plurality of the popular vote for the first time in nearly five decades at 37.7 percent.