Another opposition district mayor detained in Istanbul as the municipal investigations widen

Turkish police on Wednesday detained Üsküdar mayor Sinem Dedetaş and five others, among them the deputy mayor, an architect and a contractor, in an investigation into building and occupancy permits; raids were carried out simultaneously at eleven addresses in Istanbul, broadcaster NTV reported. The municipality is alleged to have steered permit approvals through a system in which contractors were required to sign consultancy contracts in order to obtain them. It is the latest step in the legal offensive against municipalities run by the main party opposing President Erdoğan; the opposition rejects the allegations as politically motivated, while the government points to the independence of the judiciary.

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