Turkish authorities have detained four municipal officials in Ankara as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement at the opposition-run Etimesgut Municipality, the Anka news agency reported on Monday.
The Ankara Western Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched the probe after internal inspections uncovered irregularities, leading to simultaneous searches and detentions involving municipal staff and a company affiliated with the municipality governed by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, the investigation focuses on suspected irregularities in the accounts of a municipal soup kitchen, food procurement and distribution processes as well as transactions carried out by Etimkent AŞ, a company owned by the municipality.
As part of the probe, authorities detained Etimkent AŞ General Director M.Ç., Etimesgut Municipality Social Assistance Affairs Director A.C., a finance officer identified as S.K. working in the same department and company cashier H.B.
Search and seizure operations were carried out at the suspects’ homes and workplaces on Monday, according to Anka.
Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu said the investigation was initiated following a criminal complaint filed by the municipality itself after irregularities were identified by municipal inspectors.
“The matter concerns a complaint filed with the prosecutor’s office after it was identified by inspectors of our municipality’s audit board. There is no political situation that could be perceived as an ‘operation’ against our municipality,” he said.
Beşikçioğlu also said one of the officials named in the investigation had been suspended by the municipality and reported to prosecutors.
The development comes amid an expanding legal campaign targeting municipalities run by the CHP.
A court in Ankara last week accepted an indictment of 10 people over alleged misconduct in procurement processes at the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, also governed by the CHP. The case, based on a 2022 audit report, was approved by the Interior Ministry.
The ministry had earlier granted permission to investigate Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş and his chief of staff, Nevzat Uzunoğlu, over allegations of “abuse of office” and “neglect of supervisory duties” related to municipal concert spending.
Yavaş, a senior figure in the CHP who was re-elected in 2024 with more than 60 percent of the vote, is widely seen as a potential alternative presidential contender if İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is currently behind bars, is barred from running. He has previously denied wrongdoing and described similar investigations as politically motivated.