ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Turkish authorities issued arrest warrants for 20 suspects, including the Antalya Metropolitan mayor from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), for alleged charges of “bribery” and “corruption,” state media reported on Tuesday.

The investigation, involving opposition party mayor Muhittin Bocek, led the Ministry of Interior to suspend him from his post and appoint a trustee to a related currency exchange office.

“Detention warrants were issued for 20 suspects related to allegations of corruption in excavation work, as part of an investigation conducted by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which also includes Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Bocek,” the state-owned Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Tuesday.

Bocek is a member of Turkey’s main opposition CHP. Following the arrest warrant, he was suspended by the Ministry of Interior.

The corruption probe also led to seizures of assets allegedly used to manage the bribe money. 

“A trustee was appointed to the currency exchange office where the bribe money was allegedly deposited and to two jewelry businesses where it was allegedly converted into gold,” the AA statement added.

Among the suspects are the mayor's son, Mustafa Gokhan Bocek, who was detained at Antalya Airport earlier, and former Antalya Metropolitan Municipality officials. Also arrested earlier in the investigation were Ilker Arslan, a suspended Antalya Police Chief, and a businessman.

The Turkish government has a long history of ousting elected mayors from opposition parties and replacing them with state-appointed trustees. 

In March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of the CHP was detained on multiple charges. Imamoglu, widely regarded as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leading political rival, had been preparing for the upcoming presidential elections.

The European Parliament reported in February that since Turkey's 2024 local elections, eight mayors from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and two from the CHP had been dismissed and replaced with trustees.