Turkey opposition figure arrested in graft probe

A regional head of Turkey's main opposition party was arrested Sunday as part of a corruption investigation, local media reported. 

Umit Erkol, chair of the Ankara provincial branch of the Republican People's Party (CHP), was taken into custody along with eight other people as part of a graft investigation over contract between the Izmir municipality and the Izbeton construction firm, news outlets T24 and BirGun reported.

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The investigation concerns "charges of embezzlement, aggravated fraud, forgery of official documents, and failure to fulfil oversight obligations," according to the Izmir prosecutor's office as cited by local press. 

Mansur Yavas, the CHP mayor of Ankara, condemned Erkol being held in detention in a post on X, arguing he was a well-known public figure who does not pose a flight risk. 

"If an arrest warrant is issued under these circumstances, then we cannot speak of justice," Yavas said.

Turkey's opposition has been under pressure since the arrest and detention of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in March 2025. 

He has been on trial for corruption since March 9, along with 413 co-defendants. 

Imamoglu, chosen by the CHP as its candidate for the presidential election scheduled for May 2028, was seen as the frontrunner and the only person to defeat longtime President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.