Prosecutors have requested permission from the Interior Ministry to investigate Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, widely seen as a potential presidential contender against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, over alleged misconduct and dereliction of duty, Oct. 10.
The request also names Nevzat Uzunoğlu, Yavaş’s chief of cabinet. The allegations stem from claims that the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality caused public losses of approximately 154.5 million Turkish lira through 32 concert procurement contracts between 2021 and 2024.
The prosecutor’s office cited findings from the Interior Ministry’s Civil Inspection Board, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), the Court of Accounts, and independent experts.
As part of the same probe, an indictment has been filed against 14 others—five of whom are in custody—on charges of aggravated embezzlement.
The move comes as part of a broader crackdown on the CHP. Since March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been imprisoned, and CHP-run mayors of Adana and Antalya have also been jailed. To date, 18 CHP mayors—mostly from Istanbul districts—have been arrested across the country.
İmamoğlu was jailed shortly after being nominated as the presidential candidate in a vote by CHP members. In late September, CHP Chair Özgür Özel began promoting Yavaş as a leading alternative following the launch of the probe.
“Mansur Yavaş is seen as the strongest possible candidate if Ekrem İmamoğlu cannot run for presidency. Polls show he would beat Erdoğan,” Özel said. “It is clear that Yavaş is also being targeted with the same intent.”
