ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Saturday detained the mayor of an Istanbul district, along with 47 other officials, over allegations of corruption, as part of a widening crackdown on the country’s main opposition party.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office ordered the detentions in connection with an investigation into alleged extortion, bribery, fraud and bid rigging by the Istanbul’s Bayrampasa municipality.

Bayrampasa’s mayor, Hasan Mutlu, denied the allegations in a statement on X.

“What is happening consists of political operations and baseless slander. Be assured that, together with you, the valued residents of Bayrampasa, we will overcome these slanders and these acts of dishonesty,” Mutlu said.

More than a dozen mayors from the m

See Full Page