An Istanbul court ordered the pre-trial detention of Büyükçekmece’s acting mayor, Ahmet Şahin, and his driver, Sonkan Turan, on 8 July in connection with a widening municipal corruption investigation. Prosecutors accused Şahin of taking bribes and participating in a crime ring, sending him and Turan to the city’s main remand prison after a hearing at the Criminal Court of Peace. Şahin was appointed acting mayor last month after long-time mayor Hasan Akgün was jailed on related graft charges. The latest arrests deepen a probe led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office that has already ensnared several municipal officials, including the mayors of Adana and Adıyaman, both from the opposition CHP. While some suspects have been released under house arrest, investigators say financial records and witness testimony point to systematic kickbacks tied to public contracts.