World News
Turkish court sentences five opposition mayors on corruption charges
Critics denounce the trial as politically motivated while the government maintains the judiciary operates independently.
The short version
- A Turkish court convicted five municipal mayors from the opposition Republican People's Party on corruption-related charges.
- Besiktas district mayor Riza Akpolat received a 23-year sentence, while four other mayors were handed five to eight-year prison terms.
- Critics argue the trial relied on secret witnesses and co-defendants seeking reduced sentences, while government officials insist the courts are free from political influence.
Key facts
- An Istanbul court convicted five mayors from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on corruption charges involving municipal contracts.[Associated Press]
- Riza Akpolat, the mayor of Istanbul's Besiktas district, received the longest sentence of 23 years and three months for accepting bribes, money laundering, and bid-rigging.[Associated Press]
- Four other CHP mayors were sentenced to prison terms ranging between five and eight years, having previously been removed from their posts upon arrest.[Associated Press]
- The trial involved 200 defendants and centered around allegations that businessman Aziz Ihsan Aktas obtained tenders through illegal means; Aktas received a sentence of two years and eight months for bid-rigging after testifying under an 'effective repentance' law.[Associated Press]
- The Turkish government stated that the judiciary acts independently, while opposition critics argue the prosecutions were politically driven.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Full details on the verdicts and sentences for many of the other 195 defendants in the 200-person trial were not immediately available.[Associated Press]