Model İmamoğlu and Former Mayor of İzmir in Corruption Probe – Arrests Made

Turkish authorities have arrested the former mayor of İzmir, Tunç Soyer, as part of a corruption investigation led by the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. A total of 157 arrest warrants have been issued, including one for the former mayor. Tunç Soyer, who served as İzmir’s mayor for five years until the 2024 local elections, is a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the main opposition party, just like Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested on March 19 over similar corruption allegations. İzmir is considered a stronghold of the CHP. The charges relate to alleged misconduct in awarding contracts under the city’s urban regeneration program. Among those detained are the general managers of the municipal construction company İz Beton and the municipal water supply company İZSU, as well as the head of the CHP’s İzmir provincial committee.