Istanbul mayor under investigation again following comments alleging falsification of prosecutor reports

Istanbul mayor under new investigation… In a press conference held today (January 27), Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu alleged the falsification of reports that led to the opening of a case against him in early 2023. While the Mayor was still speaking at the podium, the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office launched a new investigation against the mayor.

The 2023 case referenced by the mayor on Monday focuses on the awarding of tender contracts during the embattled mayor’s time as Beylikdüzü district mayor in 2015.

Turkey has seen a major crackdown against opposition officials in recent weeks, including the detention of Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ, the launch of a separate investigation into İmamoğlu himself, and the deposition and detention of Rıza Akpolat, the mayor of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district. Özgür Özel, chairman of İmamoğlu’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), decried the “politicization of the Turkish judiciary” in comments last week.

Recent depositions have also targeted pro-Kurdish politicians in the country’s south and southeast.

The mayor alleges falsification of prosecutor reports

Alleging the falsification of a prosecutor report that led to his indictment in early 2023, İmamoğlu said:

“Our lawyers have confirmed that there was no prosecutor’s report but the indictment was issued nonetheless.”

İmamoğlu threatened to expose evidence of the alleged falsification, saying:

“The President is aware of every detail, but always claims judicial independence. I would like to address the Minister of Justice directly…I will share with you how non-existent reports were included in the indictment, how people were accused with unsigned reports, and I will explain it not with words but with documents.”

İmamoğlu also touched on the deadly hotel fire in Bolu last week, alleging that Turkey’s central government had been trying to avoid taking responsibility for the blaze by putting the blame on local officials.

Previous cases against İmamoğlu

Since his rise to the Istanbul’s mayorship in 2019, İmamoğlu has been targeted by numerous indictments and investigations.

In late 2021, the mayor was sentenced to prison time and a political ban for comments allegedly directed towards officials on Turkey’s Supreme Election Council following the controversial overturning of his original mayoral victory in spring of 2019. The verdict was appealed and a final decision on the case is still pending.

The 2023 case referenced by İmamoğlu in his comments Monday concerns alleged corruption in the awarding of construction tenders during his time as Beylikdüzü district mayor. Prior to his election to the Istanbul’s mayorship, İmamoğlu represented the city’s western suburban district from 2014 until 2019.

Last week, a separate investigation was opened into the mayor due to comments made at a panel on January 20th. At the panel, İmam!oğlu had criticized the detention of Beşiktaş district mayor Rıza Akpolat and the arrest of Cem Aydın, the head of the CHP’s youth wing. İmam!oğlu is set to give a testimony on the case on Friday of this week (January 31). The case alleges that the mayor made threatening statements on the panel towards Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek.

Written/Translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick

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