The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into allegations of illicit expenditures at public events organized by the Istanbul municipality, marking a new legal challenge to opposition-run districts in Turkey. The investigation, announced late Wednesday, focuses on “irregular spending” during events hosted by the municipality to determine if there has been any financial harm to the public. However, the prosecutor’s office did not provide further details.
This move follows a similar investigation launched by the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office into two concerts organized by the Ankara municipality as part of Republic Day celebrations on October 29. Both Istanbul and Ankara are governed by Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which has firmly denied any allegations of financial wrongdoing.
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a prominent figure within the CHP and a potential challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan in future elections, addressed the investigations during a career fair on Thursday. Imamoglu called the probes “reputation assassination” and dismissed them as politically motivated. The Istanbul municipality has not issued further comment when contacted by Reuters.
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The investigation comes on the heels of a series of politically charged moves against opposition-run municipalities. Just last month, the CHP mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district was arrested and accused of being linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), charges which both the mayor and the CHP vehemently reject. Furthermore, in recent months, Turkey’s interior ministry has dismissed and replaced several elected mayors from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Party of the Peoples (DEM) in southeastern cities, accusing them of ties to militants—accusations that have also been strongly denied by the mayors and their political party.
The investigations into Istanbul and Ankara come amid increasing tensions between the Turkish government and opposition-run municipalities, fueling concerns of political interference and diminishing the autonomy of local governments.
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