Turkey sentences 5 opposition mayors in cases critics slam as politically motivated

An Istanbul court convicted five mayors of municipalities controlled by Turkey's main opposition party on corruption charges this Monday, a trial that critics have called politically motivated. The case alleged bribery, bid-rigging, and fraud related to municipal contracts. The government maintains the judiciary remains independent and uncorrupted.

The opposition claims the prosecution used secret witnesses and defendants may have implicated each other for lighter sentences. The five convicted include Riza Akpolat, mayor of Istanbul's Besiktas district, who received the heaviest penalty of 23 years and three months for accepting bribes, money laundering, and bid-rigging. The other four received five to eight year sentences and had their mayoral posts revoked.

The lengthy seven-month trial included 200 defendants, with some receiving sentences while others were acquitted. Politician Aziz Ihsan Aktas, whose company allegedly benefited from the bribes, testified against co-defendants under Turkey’s “effective repentance” law, claiming he provided mayors with bribes for contracts. The trial also involved the use of secret witnesses, many admitting their evidence was based on hearsay.

The opposition argues that municipalities controlled by the ruling party did not face the same scrutiny. The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, remains in jail facing multiple corruption charges that mirror those in the Aktas case.