An Istanbul court has handed prison sentences to five opposition mayors in Turkey, all from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), in a case that further deepens doubts about how the justice system is being used in the confrontation between the authorities and political opponents. According to Turkish media, the sentences range from five to more than 23 years in prison.
The heaviest sentence for the mayor of Besiktas
The harshest sentence was given to the mayor of Besiktas, Riza Akpolat, who was sentenced to 23 years and three months in prison. According to Turkey’s official Anadolu agency, he was found guilty of corruption, money laundering and irregularities in public procurement.
At the same time, Akpolat was cleared of the charge of membership in a criminal organization. He has denied the accusations and told the court that he is innocent, insisting that there is no indisputable evidence against him and that the case is based on defamatory statements.
Not everyone was found guilty
The trial did not produce only convictions. The mayor of Adiyaman was found not guilty and cleared of the charges, while another mayor elected in 2024 for one of Istanbul’s most populous outlying districts was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence for “abuse of power through negligence.”
Information reported by Turkish media also mentions acquittals on some charges or for some defendants, making the case even more difficult to read beyond the strong political narrative that has accompanied the proceedings.
The businessman who implicated local politicians was released
The same trial also saw the release of businessman Aziz Ihsan Aktaş, who had given testimony implicating several local opposition politicians. He had initially been accused as the head of a suspected criminal organization and faced up to 280 years in prison.
This element has raised even more questions about the structure of the case, especially when a key figure in the prosecution walks free while some opposition officials face heavy sentences.
A wave of investigations into the CHP after the local elections
The five mayors had been arrested during the first half of 2025 as part of investigations that have affected a large number of CHP representatives, the main opposition party and a rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
After the opposition’s sweeping victory in the 2024 local elections, dozens of elected mayors have been arrested or removed from office in various cities across Turkey. This has fueled political accusations that the fight against corruption is being interpreted one way when it affects those in power and another way when it targets the opposition.
The Imamoglu case also remains in the background
At the center of the political and judicial tensions is also Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, one of the opposition’s strongest figures and a potential rival to Erdogan. His arrest last year, on corruption charges that he denies, sparked major protests in the country.
The mass demonstrations after Imamoglu’s arrest have deepened the clash between the government and the opposition, placing Turkey’s justice system under even more critical scrutiny, both inside and outside the country.
The latest rulings against the five CHP mayors are expected to further fuel debate over the independence of the judiciary in Turkey and over the line between criminal investigation and political pressure on the opposition.