Ali Ender Çolak, head of the natural gas company of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing health reasons. He is the second top name at the municipality leaving his post after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on charges of corruption last month. Imamoğlu was among dozens of people held in a probe into corruption and aiding terrorism in a far-reaching probe against him and senior officials of IBB.
Earlier, IBB Secretary-General Can Akın Çağlar left his post, though municipality sources denied that it had to do with Imamoğlu’s arrest and said Çağlar was already planning retirement. Çağlar was detained alongside Imamoğlu in March but later released with judiciary control.
Çolak was appointed last August as general manager of IGDAŞ, which supplies natural gas to more than 5 million subscribers in Türkiye’s most populated city. Previously, he served as CEO of a private company manufacturing natural gas equipment.
Media outlets claimed that Çolak stepped down as he did not want to be associated with corruption allegations in the municipality.
A report by Takvim newspaper says the company paid exorbitant fees to rental vehicles and was involved in awarding a lucrative tender to A.I.A., a businessperson involved in another corruption investigation into Rıza Akpolat, mayor of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district for the Republican People’s Party (CHP), like Imamoğlu.