Turkish authorities detained 29 suspects on Friday as part of a corruption investigation targeting a company affiliated with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), authorities announced.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the operation focused on Tree and Landscape Inc. (Ağaç ve Peyzaj A.Ş.), a municipal landscaping and green-space company. Investigators allege that suspects set up a “fictional tender system” to manipulate public procurement processes and steer contracts to selected companies.
Detention warrants were issued for 30 suspects, prosecutors said. Police detained 29 of them in simultaneous raids, while one suspect was found to be abroad. Authorities said efforts were continuing to locate the fugitive suspect.
Among those detained were the deputy secretary-general and head of the municipality’s Parks and Gardens Department.
According to the investigation file, suspects allegedly gave certain companies an unfair advantage, coordinated tender procedures and undermined competition in public procurement. Prosecutors also claim the alleged scheme caused public financial losses.
The operation is part of a wider investigation into what prosecutors describe as a criminal organization led by former Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu. Officials say several alleged acts listed in an indictment were connected to Tree and Landscape Inc.
Investigators also allege that suppliers were asked to pay bribes amounting to 10% of contract values and that the money was collected through company executives.
The main opposition CHP is under mounting scrutiny as a wave of corruption, bribery and terrorism-related investigations sweeps across its municipalities.
The most extensive probe targets the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, led by ousted mayor Imamoğlu, over claims of systematic corruption, fictitious tenders and abuse of public resources.
Prosecutors accuse Imamoğlu, identified in the indictment as the leader of a criminal organization, of a wide range of offenses, including forming and leading a criminal group, bribery, money laundering, fraud against public institutions, unlawful collection and dissemination of personal data, destruction of evidence, bid-rigging and abuse of office.
The 3,809-page indictment was completed on Nov. 11, 2025, and seeks prison sentences ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu in relation to 142 alleged acts.
