Thirteen people, including current and former officials of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, were detained Tuesday in a corruption investigation into spending on concerts organized by the municipality, run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). The detainees include former and current directors of the municipality’s culture department as well as executives from private event-organizing companies. The municipality released a statement on Tuesday that criticized the raids, arguing that officials could have been invited to give testimony without detention. Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, who was re-elected in March with more than 60 percent of the vote and is considered a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2028, defended the municipality. CHP denounces probe, accuses judiciary of political biasTuesday’s operation came hours after former Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek of the AKP posted on X that a “billion-lira fraud” was about to erupt in the capital.