site.bta14 More Arrested in Corruption Probe in Istanbul Municipality

More arrests have been made as part of a corruption investigation into Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber reported.

Fourteen persons have been detained out of a total of 18 suspects for bribery and public procurement violations. Law enforcers in Istanbul are continuing to search for the other four suspects.

The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation involving Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was suspended from his post as a temporary measure. He is being investigated for allegedly leading and participating in a criminal organization, bribery, unlawful acquisition of personal data, fraud and rigging public tenders.

Imamoglu was arrested on March 19, and was sentenced on July 16 to one year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening a public official. This effectively prevents him from engaging in political activity and running for president. During his defence in court on Wednesday, Imamoglu, the main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the cases against him were driven by fear of losing elections.

At present, several other mayors from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) are in custody. Among them are the mayors of Izmir, Adana, Antalya and Adiyaman.