Turkish authorities detains another opposition mayor in corruption probe

ANKARA, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Turkish police detained the opposition mayor of the southern province of Mersin and 58 other suspects on Thursday in a corruption investigation, state-run Anadolu Agency said.

• Mayor Vahap Secer, who is a member of opposition Republican People’s Party, the CHP, was detained along with Yenisehir and Mezitli district mayors over alleged fraud in public tenders, Anadolu said, citing a Mersin Prosecutor’s Office statement

• The investigation in Mersin is the latest step in an unprecedented legal crackdown on municipalities run by opposition parties in Turkey

• Dozens of mayors, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is seen as main rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are in jail pending trial as part of corruption probes

• The opposition rejects corruption accusations since 2024 and says the investigations are politically motivated. The government says the judiciary is independent.

(Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever, Editing by Louise Heavens)