An Istanbul court has issued an arrest warrant for Cafer Mahiroglu, the owner of the Halk TV channel, which is linked to Turkey's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP). According to information from the prosecutor's office, quoted by "Reuters", the charges against Mahiroglu are related to participation in a criminal organization suspected of rigging public procurement by bribing officials, News.bg reports.
Mahiroglu rejected the charges, stating in a post on the social network X that they are “based on fabricated, false allegations and slander by a person I have never met or seen in my life“. He said he had been living abroad for 35 years and suggested the charges were politically motivated. "This is the price of owning Halk TV, the people's television, and defending democracy, rights and the law," he wrote. It was not clear whether he intended to return to Turkey to defend himself in court.
The case comes amid heightened tensions between the authorities and the opposition. In March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - a leading figure in the HDP and a key political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - was arrested on charges of running a criminal organization, bribery, bid rigging and collaborating with a terrorist group. Imamoglu has denied all charges.
His arrest sparked mass protests across the country and accusations of the government interfering in the judiciary. The authorities have strongly rejected such claims, insisting that Turkey's judiciary is independent.
Following Imamoglu's arrest, dozens of members of the AKP, as well as officials from the Istanbul municipality and other opposition-run municipalities, have also been detained.