Özel says Beşiktaş probe diverts from economic woes

Özel says Beşiktaş probe diverts from economic woes

ANKARA
Özel says Beşiktaş probe diverts from economic woesÖzel says Beşiktaş probe diverts from economic woes

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has accused the government of attempting to shift public attention away from the country’s economic difficulties by targeting opposition-run municipalities.

Özel's remarks came in response to the Jan. 13 detention of Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, following an investigation into alleged corruption and bribery involving a criminal network trying to secure municipal tenders.

Akpolat, a member of the CHP, was detained at his summer residence in the northwestern city of Balıkesir. Police also conducted searches at his house in Istanbul and his office at the municipality.

"With the Beşiktaş operation, they are trying to cover up the livelihood problems... and make the oppression of the citizens less talked about," Özel said at parliament on Jan. 14.

"They don't know about the street and the market, nor about the ordeal in the kitchens... I am here to talk about what they want to be talked about."

The CHP leader described the investigation as "applying enemy law" and criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for attempting to undermine opposition municipalities.

"Our mayors are fighting poverty... Erdoğan didn't know what to do, so he challenged the municipalities a bit," Özel said.

Akpolat, who has served as Beşiktaş’s mayor since 2019, was reelected with a landslide victory in 2024, securing 64 percent of the vote in the district, one of Istanbul’s most prominent.

The investigation focuses on allegations that a criminal group used bribes to influence officials within Beşiktaş and the neighboring Esenyurt Municipality to secure tenders for municipal projects.