The alleged benefits were provided directly to Özel or through Ağbaba on several occasions, according to the prosecutor’s office. The protection, known as parliamentary immunity, is intended to prevent the government and prosecutors from using criminal proceedings to obstruct elected lawmakers. If parliament lifts immunity, the lawmaker can be questioned, prosecuted and held in pretrial detention but does not automatically lose his or her seat. The Turkish parliament receives a large number of immunity requests, many of which remain pending for years. Crackdown on CHP municipalitiesThe immunity requests come amid a continuing crackdown on CHP-run municipalities following the party’s gains in the 2024 local elections.