Turkish Interior Ministry suspends opposition’s arrested Beşiktaş mayor from duty
Turkish Interior Ministry has suspended Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat “as a temporary measure” from duty. Akpolat was recently arrested as part of a criminal investigation that was launched against an alleged “profit-driven crime syndicate,” which is seen as the government’s new crackdown attempt on Istanbul’s popular mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Duvar English
Turkey’s Interior Ministry on Jan. 17 suspended the arrested Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party. Beşiktaş is one of Istanbul’s biggest districts.
In a statement, the ministry said they suspended Akpolat from duty “as a temporary measure” after he was arrested on the charges of “bribery” and “membership in a criminal organization.”
CHP Istanbul branch head Özgür Çelik announced that the acting mayor will be elected by the Beşiktaş municipal council, whose members are all from the CHP.
An Istanbul court arrested Akpolat on the same day on Jan. 17 four days after his detention in line with an operation involving 40 individuals accused of “rigging public tenders.”
A criminal investigation was launched against “a profit-driven crime syndicate” allegedly led by a business person named Aziz İhsan Aktaş. The group was accused of bribing mayors and senior municipal officials to manipulate bidding processes, ensuring contracts were awarded to their own companies.
As part of the investigation, 23 individuals were arrested while 17 suspects were released under judicial control measures. The investigation also includes the CHP’s Esenyurt district Mayor Ahmet Özer, who was previously ousted by the government and arrested due to a different investigation.
The moves are seen as the government’s new crackdown attempts on Istanbul’s popular mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s one of the potential rivals.
In the indictment, the prosecutors argued that Akpolat recived "bribes" in vehicle sales and Aziz İhsan Aktaş's companies "received bids" from the municipality, Furkan Karabay from Duvar reported.
Akpolat allegedly sold two automobiles registered to his company and owned by him to Aziz İhsan Aktaş's companies at a price "far above their value," thus "receiving bribes."
They also claimed that Aziz İhsan Aktaş's companies were "most active" in Beşiktaş Municipality regarding bids. However, it came to earth that Aktaş's companies received numerous tenders from the ruling AKP's municipalities, the Parliament and institutions such as the Court of Appeals.
Akpolat denied any allegations of membership in a criminal organization, bid rigging, and illicit enrichment.
Following Akpolat's arrest, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu said, "Your conspiracies will not bend this wrist! You will not survive the nation's fist of democracy. There is no salvation alone. Either all together or none of us! #rızaakpolat."
Meanwhile, Feti Yıldız, the deputy chair of the government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), interestingly questioned the court's decision to arrest Akpolat, and said, "Courts are obliged to substantiate their decisions in legal and material terms on the grounds they give."