Istanbul, March 27 (IANS) Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said here Thursday that 51 people out of the 106 suspects involved in two ongoing investigations into the Istanbul municipality on charges of graft and terror ties have been arrested.
Of the rest 55 suspects, 41 have been placed under judicial control, and 14 remain at large, Tunc said in a meeting with representatives of foreign media outlets.
“We emphasise that the investigation is being carried out by independent judicial authorities,” Tunc said, adding that “claims, defenses, and evidence will be evaluated during the investigation phase, and once the confidentiality of the investigation is lifted, the material facts will be revealed.”
Also on Thursday, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X that Turkish security forces have so far arrested 1,879 individuals related to ongoing protests against the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.
A total of 150 police officers have been injured during protests, Yerlikaya said.
Imamoglu, together with dozens of senior municipal officials, was detained on March 19 as part of the investigations initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Imamoglu was then formally arrested and suspended from office on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. Since then, he, who denies the accusations, has been held at Marmara Prison in Istanbul’s Silivri district.
Tens of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets after the detention of Imamoglu, who, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is considered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival in the next presidential elections.
On Wednesday, the Istanbul City Council elected Nuri Aslan from the CHP as acting mayor.
–IANS
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