Istanbul, Turkey – January 13, 2025 – Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was arrested early Friday on charges related to corruption and rigging municipal tenders. Akpolat, along with 22 others, is under investigation for allegedly participating in a criminal organization that manipulated municipal tenders to benefit specific companies, including those owned by businessman Aziz İhsan Aktaş, one of the arrested suspects.
The arrest follows an investigation into bribery schemes involving Beşiktaş municipality, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), and a number of companies awarded lucrative contracts in the district. Investigators allege that Aktaş’s companies secured contracts by bribing municipal officials and eliminating competition through rigged tender processes. Akpolat has denied any involvement in the illegal activities, asserting that he delegated tender responsibilities to his colleagues and had no knowledge of the corrupt dealings.
The CHP quickly organized large protests outside the Beşiktaş municipality building, claiming that the arrest was politically motivated and that there is no concrete evidence linking Akpolat to the alleged corruption. The opposition party maintains that the investigation is part of an effort to discredit their leadership.
Prosecutors have accused Aktaş and others involved of creating fraudulent tender application documents to manipulate the bidding process, often ensuring that only Aktaş’s companies could fulfill the conditions. Some reports indicate that municipal officials may have transported bribe money in Beşiktaş municipality garbage trucks. The investigation also uncovered evidence of inflated sales of municipal property to Aktaş’s companies.
This arrest comes after a series of corruption-related investigations involving Beşiktaş Municipality, and raises questions about the transparency of tender processes in Istanbul’s local government. Akpolat had been in office since 2019 and was re-elected for a second term in the 2024 municipal elections.
