Turkey targets opposition district in graft probe

The Turkish prosecutor has ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district held by the main opposition, as part of an investigation into alleged bribery and tender rigging, the Ankara chief prosecutor's office said on Saturday.

Authorities have detained 27 of the suspects as searches continued for the others, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

In a post on X, Huseyin Can Guner, mayor of Ankara's Cankaya district and a representative of the Republican People's Party, known as the CHP, said he informed authorities of his whereabouts and had provided a spare key to his home for officers conducting a search while he is on his way to Ankara.

"Since taking office, we have managed this institution in the best possible way and have not engaged in the slightest conduct that would embarrass anyone who has placed their trust in us," Guner said.

The operation follows a series of investigations into municipalities run by the CHP. The government says the judiciary is independent. The CHP rejects the allegations and says the investigations are politically motivated.