Ankara Provincial Chair of Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (CHP), Ümit Erkol, has been detained as part of a corruption investigation linked to a cooperative in İzmir, Turkish media reported.
Erkol is expected to be transferred to İzmir following procedures in Ankara.
CHP Deputy Chair for Media and Public Relations Burhanettin Bulut criticised the detention in a post on X, saying Erkol was taken into custody in a “morning raid” without being summoned for questioning, describing it as the application of “enemy law”.
“Those who weaponise the judiciary are concerned not with the rule of law, but with preserving their own power. We will not bow to pressure or submit to unlawful practices,” he said.
CHP Deputy Chair for Elections and Legal Affairs Gül Çiftçi also criticised the detention, saying the decision to detain Erkol and transfer him under police escort did not serve any legal purpose and turned the process into a “show of force”.
The detention forms part of a wider investigation into what is publicly known as the “cooperative case” in İzmir.
The case involves allegations of corruption within the municipality-affiliated company İZBETON A.Ş. A total of 157 people have previously been subject to detention orders, including former İzmir Mayor Tunç Soyer, CHP İzmir Provincial Chair Şenol Aslanoğlu, and former İZBETON General Manager Heval Savaş Kaya.
Soyer and Kaya were previously released in a separate phase of proceedings involving 65 defendants. However, Soyer remains in custody in a different case related to allegations of embezzlement involving cooperatives.
In October 2025, the court ordered the release of Şenol Aslanoğlu under judicial control and house arrest conditions.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 17 June.
According to CHP’s official website, Erkol was born in Afyonkarahisar. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine and later completed postgraduate studies at the same institution.
He has previously served in leadership roles at the Ankara Medical Chamber and was a member of the Central Council of the Turkish Medical Association. He has also worked on human rights issues.
Erkol joined CHP in 2010 and later held various party positions before being appointed as an adviser in the party’s media and public relations department. He was elected CHP Ankara Provincial Chair in both 2023 and 2025.
As the 13th edition of the World Urban Forum nears an end, Azerbaijan's Pavilion will showcase reconstruction efforts in its liberated territor...
A Turkish court has effectively removed the main opposition leader, Özgür Özel, in a ruling that has deepened political tensions and...
Standing amidst the shattered concrete, twisted reinforcing bars...
SpaceX stopped the launch of its 12th Starship rocket from Texas on Thursday and said it will attempt the high-stakes test flight again on Friday, ...
U.S. President Donald Trump surprised NATO allies by announcing plans to deploy an additional 5,000 American tr...
As the 13th edition of the World Urban Forum nears an end, Azerbaijan's Pavilion will showcase reconstruction efforts in its liberated territories and foreground the importance of mine removal in resettlement efforts.
A Turkish court has effectively removed the main opposition leader, Özgür Özel, in a ruling that has deepened political tensions and rattled financial markets.
SpaceX stopped the launch of its 12th Starship rocket from Texas on Thursday and said it will attempt the high-stakes test flight again on Friday, as Elon Musk's space company nears a record-breaking public listing.
U.S. President Donald Trump surprised NATO allies by announcing plans to deploy an additional 5,000 American troops to Poland, just hours before Secretary of State Marco Rubio was due to meet alliance ministers in Sweden on Friday against the backdrop of growing divisions over the Iran war.
Asian stocks surged on Thursday as some vessels resumed passage through the Strait of Hormuz, while forecast-beating results at Nvidia and a suspended workers' strike at Samsung Electronics lifted shares of chipmakers.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said Belarus will not be dragged into the war in Ukraine, while also stressing that Minsk and Moscow would jointly respond to any aggression against them.
The penultimate day of the World Urban Forum 13 in Baku will see Azerbaijan's Pavilion highlight post-construction efforts in Garabagh and East Zangezur, as well as host events on the future of Baku and architectural education.
NATO fighter jets were activated on Thursday (21 May) after at least one drone entered Latvian airspace, according to Latvia’s armed forces, marking the latest in a series of security incidents across the Baltic region linked to the war in Ukraine.
A French appeals court has found Airbus and Air France guilty of corporate manslaughter over the 2009 Rio–Paris crash, marking a major development in a case that has stretched on for 17 years.
A Turkish court has effectively removed the main opposition leader, Özgür Özel, in a ruling that has deepened political tensions and rattled financial markets.
A 13-year-old boy was killed in northern Gaza on Thursday (21 May) after an Israeli drone strike hit the town of Beit Lahiya, according to local health officials, as residents reported a renewed increase in Israeli evacuation warnings ahead of attacks.
Azerbaijan is stepping up efforts to strengthen its position as a regional hub for investment and connectivity ahead of the second Azerbaijan International Investment Forum in Baku this September.
Iran and Pakistan discussed developments in stalled Iran-U.S. negotiations during a visit to Tehran by Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsen Raza Naqvi, amid Islamabad’s ongoing mediation efforts.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (21 May), with both leaders discussing bilateral ties, regional developments and ongoing peace efforts in the South Caucasus.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment