On Sunday (October 26), Istanbul’s opposition mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, already imprisoned since March on alleged corruption charges, was charged with espionage in a new case once again demanding his pre-trial detention.
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| Istanbul mayor faces new charges of collusion with British MI6 Istanbul mayor faces new charges of collusion with British MI6 |
The case alleges that İmamoğlu and two others shared citizens’ private data with British intelligence services in the run-up to 2019’s local elections in order to secure campaign funding.
İmamoğlu has denied the allegations, calling the charges a ‘conspiracy’ against him.
British citizen implicated
The indictment released by Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor implicates a British citizen named Christopher Paul McGrath.
Investigative journalist Bahadır Özgür recently shared details identifying McGrath as the director of a cyber security firm named Prodaft that was allegedly the recipient of a public tender in Turkey.
At the time of Özgür’s reporting, it was still unclear whether McGrath’s Prodaft company was the subject of an active investigation.
İmamoğlu’s alleged involvement
The indictment alleges that Hüseyin Gün, a British-Turkish citizen arrested in July 2025, was in contact with Necati Özkan during the 2019 mayoral campaign. Özkan is a close advisor of İmamoğlu who was arrested Sunday in connection with the case. The contact between Gün and Özkan allegedly involved the sharing of citizens’ private data with the goal of securing campaign funding from the United Kingdom.
In the indictment, İmamoğlu is labeled as the ‘leader of a criminal organization’ aimed at compromising citizens’ private data in exchange for British funds.
Additionally, recent allegations by Turkish government-linked journalist Nedim Şener claim that Istanbul’s municipal ‘Istanbul Senin’ mobile app was developed with British MI6 agents with the goal of ensuring İmamoğlu’s mayoral victory.
Yesterday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Ankara but did not discuss the allegations.
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has denied the allegations against İmamoğlu and the opposition-controlled Istanbul municipal government. A spokesperson for the party noted Turkey’s ruling central government’s closeness with the United Kingdom, citing recent examples such as Turkey’s acquisition of British Eurofighter jets, as well as cooperation between British and Turkish intelligence on alleged Russian cyber attacks.
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
