Istanbul: Opposition Mayors Sentenced to Long Prison Terms in Turkey

An Istanbul court has sentenced six former opposition mayors in Turkey to significant prison terms, with one receiving over 23 years. Rıza Akpolat, the former mayor of the Beşiktaş district, was handed a total sentence of 23 years and three months for charges including bribery, money laundering, and tender manipulation, according to reports from Anadolu and DHA news agencies.

In addition to Akpolat, five other former mayors received multi-year sentences, while one was acquitted. These mayors had been removed from their positions during investigations that led to these trials. The main defendant in the large-scale trial, which involved 200 plaintiffs, was a businessman accused of forming a criminal network to bribe mayors and municipal executives.

This businessman received a two-year, eight-month sentence for tender manipulation but was acquitted of forming a criminal organization. The proceedings are being closely watched in Turkey, particularly given a wave of arrests targeting opposition mayors and the ongoing legal battle faced by former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a prominent opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

İmamoğlu, who faces separate charges of corruption and forming a criminal organization, denies all allegations. Critics view the current trials, including Akpolat's conviction, as politically motivated, a claim the government denies, stating it does not interfere with the judiciary.

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The court in Istanbul sentenced him, according to the news agencies Anadolu and DHA, for bribery, money laundering and manipulation of tenders.