The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said police carried out coordinated operations in four cities, detaining 37 of 47 suspects named in arrest warrants issued as part of investigations into alleged corruption and misconduct in local administrations.

Among those detained was Adalar Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The suspects face allegations including bribery, embezzlement, forgery of official documents, abuse of office and establishing or leading a criminal organization. Authorities have not announced when formal charges may be filed.

In a separate investigation, security forces conducted operations in the municipality of Silifke in the southern province of Mersin. Turkish media reported that several individuals, including the mayor, were taken into custody over allegations involving bribery, embezzlement, bid-rigging and abuse of office.

The latest detentions follow a series of similar operations targeting CHP-run municipalities in recent days, including local administrations in Istanbul’s Beylikduzu and Silivri districts as well as Seferihisar in the western province of Izmir.

The CHP has strongly rejected the investigations, arguing that the operations are politically motivated and designed to weaken the opposition after the party’s strong performance in the 2024 local elections, when it defeated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in several key municipalities.

The arrests come as the CHP grapples with an internal leadership crisis triggered by a court ruling in Ankara last month that annulled the party’s 2023 leadership election over allegations of vote-buying.

The ruling reinstated former party chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu and intensified divisions within the opposition movement.

Senior CHP figure Ozgur Ozel, who lost his position as party leader following the court decision, has called for an extraordinary party congress, arguing that the CHP cannot function effectively under what he describes as an imposed leadership structure.

The court ruling sparked demonstrations by CHP supporters and heightened political tensions nationwide. Police also entered the party’s headquarters following the decision, an action that drew criticism from opposition figures.

The latest investigations are likely to deepen scrutiny of relations between the government and opposition parties at a time when the CHP has gained momentum in opinion polls and remains one of the most significant political challengers to Erdogan’s administration.

Venezuela’s immigration authority said in a brief statement that Saab’s deportation was linked to ongoing criminal investigations in the United States, although officials did not explicitly confirm his destination. The statement referred to Saab solely as a Colombian citizen, an apparent acknowledgment of Venezuelan constitutional restrictions prohibiting the extradition of Venezuelan nationals.

Saab, 54, was previously released and returned to Venezuela in 2023 after former U.S. President Joe Biden granted him clemency as part of a prisoner exchange between Washington and Caracas.The businessman had long been regarded by U.S. authorities as a key financial operator for Maduro’s government, helping manage overseas commercial networks and sanctions-sensitive transactions.

Maduro’s administration had described Saab as a diplomat carrying out humanitarian missions when he was detained during a 2020 refueling stop in Cape Verde while traveling to Iran.The latest move follows major political upheaval in Venezuela after Maduro’s removal from power earlier this year and the emergence of acting President Delcy Rodriguez as the country’s interim leader.

According to reports, Rodríguez removed Saab from his government positions after assuming office on Jan. 3, stripping him of influence over foreign investment channels tied to the Venezuelan state. Unconfirmed reports in recent months suggested Saab had been under detention or restricted movement inside Venezuela.

The Associated Press reported in February that U.S. federal prosecutors had intensified scrutiny of Saab’s alleged role in a bribery scheme linked to Venezuelan food import contracts under the government’s CLAP distribution program.The investigation reportedly stems from a 2021 U.S. Justice Department case involving Saab associate Alvaro Pulido.

Prosecutors in Miami have examined allegations surrounding contracts tied to the CLAP system, which was created to distribute subsidized food staples to Venezuelans during years of economic collapse, hyperinflation and shortages.

U.S. authorities have alleged that Saab accumulated substantial wealth through government-linked contracts and opaque financial arrangements connected to Venezuela’s state apparatus.The U.S. Justice Department did not immediately comment on Saturday’s deportation announcement.