Istanbul Mayor suspended from post following arrest in corruption probe

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ISTANBUL

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested earlier Sunday as part of a corruption probe, has been suspended from his post as a temporary measure, the Turkish Interior Ministry said.

Earlier, Imamoglu was arrested by the criminal court as part of a corruption investigation into the Turkish metropolitan municipality.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said in an official statement: "Within the scope of the investigations conducted by our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the on-duty Magistrate Court has decided to arrest the suspect, Ekrem Imamoglu, on charges of establishing and leading a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion, unlawfully recording personal data, and interfering with a tender, within the framework of a financial investigation."

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched investigations against Imamoglu and 99 other suspects on charges, including leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, embezzlement, bribery, aggravated fraud, unlawful acquisition of personal data, and rigging public tenders.

Following their processing at the police station, several suspects were transferred to Istanbul Courthouse in Caglayan, where their proceedings before criminal court took place.

The court ruled for Imamoglu’s arrest.

Murat Ongun, an aide to Imamoglu and the chairman of Medya Inc. -- a company owned by the municipality -- along with Imamoglu Insaat Company General Manager Tuncay Yilmaz were also arrested as part of the investigation.

Proceedings for the other suspects are still ongoing.

The Interior Ministry also suspended Mehmet Murat Calik and Resul Emrah Sahan, mayors of Istanbul's Beylikduzu and Sisli districts, respectively, as temporary measures.

The ministry said in a statement that Calik was arrested on charges of “extortion” and “being a member of an organization established to commit a crime” based on the decision of Istanbul’s 6th Criminal Court.

It added that Sahan was arrested on the charge of “aiding an armed terrorist organization” based on the decision of Istanbul’s 10th Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, Istanbul Governorship announced that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Beylikduzu Municipal Assemblies have decided to convene on Wednesday for the election of acting mayors.