High-ranking officials have been arrested in Turkey in connection with a corruption case involving the Church of Constantinople

Mass arrests of municipal officials suspected of corruption offenses against a religious organization took place in Turkey. Among those detained were the mayor of the Adalar district of Istanbul and several of his subordinates, according to a report by Daily Sabah.

According to the case file, officials from the municipality—which is controlled by the opposition Republican People’s Party—illegally collected funds from a Greek Orthodox foundation located on the island of Büyükada. The total amount of the illegal levies amounted to approximately 3 million Turkish lira (about 65,000 dollars). Investigators emphasize that this religious foundation was legally exempt from such municipal payments.

During the investigation, the prosecutor’s office for the Anatolian side of Istanbul established that Deputy Mayor Hüseyin Yılmaz exerted direct pressure on the foundation’s representative, Vasil Poridis, demanding payment for administrative services. Law enforcement officials obtained recordings of telephone conversations in which Hüseyin Yılmaz and Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat discussed the details of receiving the funds.

A total of 42 people have been detained in connection with the case, 35 of whom—including the mayor of Adalar—were arrested by court order. Four other suspects remain under judicial supervision. The investigation also covers the activities of officials regarding other religious institutions in the region, including the historic Halki Theological School, the reopening of which has been raised repeatedly at the international level.