İstanbul (Reuters) – Mayor Sinem Dedetaş of Üsküdar and five senior municipal officials were referred to an Istanbul court on Tuesday on charges of bribery and establishing a criminal organization, prosecutors said. The operation, announced by Turkey’s public prosecutor’s office, follows a series of raids on municipalities governed by the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the main opposition.
Operation and Charges
The crackdown began with a coordinated police raid on the Üsküdar municipality building, during which the six suspects were detained and taken to a local hospital for routine health checks, according to SonDakika. After the examinations, the individuals were escorted to the courtroom, where a judge formally ordered them to stand trial on “rüşvet” (bribery) and “suç örgütü kurma, yönetme” (forming and managing a criminal organization) offenses.
“Mayor Sinem Dedetaş and five other officials were sent to the Istanbul court on charges of bribery and criminal organization, the prosecutors said.” – T24
The public prosecutor’s office indicated that the investigation uncovered alleged irregularities in the awarding of municipal contracts and payments to private firms, which they claim constitute the core of the bribery scheme. No further details on the specific sums or contracts have been released.
Political Context and Reactions
Üsküdar, a historic and affluent district on Istanbul’s Asian shore, has been governed by the CHP since the 2019 local elections. Mayor Dedetaş, a former television personality turned politician, is a high‑profile figure within the opposition. Her arrest, Stockholm Center for Freedom notes, underscores a pattern of targeting “TV star‑turned‑mayors” in a broader effort to weaken opposition influence at the municipal level.
Daily Sabah reported that the investigation is part of an expanding probe into CHP‑run municipalities, adding that similar operations have already led to the detention of other opposition mayors, such as Erdal Besikçioglu of Beyoğlu. Analysts cited by Pakistan Today and the Azerbaijan news outlet argue that the timing may be linked to the upcoming national elections, where the CHP seeks to consolidate its urban base.
The CHP has condemned the proceedings as politically motivated, calling for an independent review of the case. Human‑rights observers, while not directly quoted in the sources, have previously warned that the use of anti‑corruption statutes to pursue political opponents could undermine Turkey’s judicial independence.
In a related development, Turkish Minute highlighted how the broader climate of investigations is being exploited by fraudsters, who have used alleged links to the Gülen probe to swindle elderly citizens out of TL 40 million, illustrating the ripple effects of the government’s anti‑corruption campaign on public trust.
The six defendants are expected to appear before the court for a preliminary hearing later this week. If convicted, Turkish law permits sentences ranging from several years to a decade of imprisonment for bribery and organized‑crime charges. The outcome will likely influence the political calculus of opposition parties ahead of the next local election cycle.
