Turkey’s main opposition party chair, Özgür Özel, has accused a lawyer and several prosecutors of orchestrating a “bribery and testimony market” linked to ongoing investigations targeting Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) officials. The lawyer at the center of the scandal, Mehmet Yıldırım, was arrested while allegedly attempting to flee the country—just hours after Özel made the allegations during a rally in Istanbul’s Tuzla district on Tuesday (August 6).

According to Özel, Yıldırım acted as an intermediary between prosecutors and the families of detained İBB personnel, soliciting large sums of money in exchange for promises of favorable legal outcomes—such as reduced charges, early release, or improved detention conditions. Yıldırım allegedly presented himself as a messenger from the prosecutors and offered legal representation under that pretense.

“These are not just claims,” Özel told the crowd. “We have the dates, times, bank receipts, surveillance footage, and recorded phone calls. I will present all this evidence to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors [HSK] today.”

Later that evening, journalist İsmail Saymaz reported on X (formerly Twitter) that Yıldırım had been detained by Istanbul police on the orders of the city’s Chief Public Prosecutor. He was reportedly caught in the southern province of Antalya while attempting to flee the country. Authorities have not disclosed his intended destination.

“Yıldırım was caught in a scene straight out of a movie,” Saymaz wrote.

Özel stated that Yıldırım not only collected money directly from detainees’ families—who withdrew cash from banks and handed it over in person—but also visited businesses, claiming connections with prosecutors to extort money. He further alleged that Yıldırım coordinated arrest and testimony dates and even arranged phone calls........

© Medyascope