Türkiye detains Menderes mayor in expanding corruption probe

Turkish authorities have detained 21 people, including the mayor of the Menderes district in İzmir, as part of a corruption investigation led by the İzmir Public Prosecutor's Office.

Among those detained are Menderes Mayor Ilkay Çiçek, Deputy Mayor Rüzgar Şenmez, and municipal councillors Emre Pala and Ferdi Hepilmaz, Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

Police continued searches at Çiçek's residence and the Menderes municipal building following the detentions.

The latest operation comes a day after Turkish authorities arrested 40 people, including Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Beşikçioğlu, in a separate corruption investigation. Beşikçioğlu was subsequently remanded in custody, and Türkiye's Interior Ministry announced that he had been suspended from office pending legal proceedings.

By Sabina Mammadli