A new indictment released Tuesday (November 11) by the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor is requesting up to a 2352 year prison sentence for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
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| Indictment asks for over 2000-year sentence for Istanbul mayor Indictment asks for over 2000-year sentence for Istanbul mayor |
İmamoğlu, who belongs to Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been imprisoned since March 19th on charges seen by Turkish opposition figures and international observers as politically motivated. His arrest, which came just days before his nomination as presidential candidate, set off Turkey’s largest protests in over a decade.
3900-page indictment
The 3900-page indictment released Tuesday focuses on alleged corruption within the opposition-controlled Istanbul municipality, and names 402 suspects, including the imprisoned Istanbul mayor.
The document requests between 828 and 2352 years in prison for İmamoğlu, who is identified as the ringleader of a profit-seeking criminal organization during his time at the helm of the municipality.
Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek announced Tuesday that 105 individuals had been arrested in connection with the investigation, while 107 were still being sought.
Tuesday’s announcement was denounced by both İmamoğlu’s CHP, as well as by the pro-Kurdish DEM Party. The ongoing judicial pressure against the CHP is happening against the backdrop of a solution process aimed at solving the Kurdish issue in Turkey.
Mayor’s legal woes continue to multiply
The Istanbul municıpality corruption case is just one of numerous investigations facing the embattled mayor.
In late October, İmamoğlu was charged with espionage in a case alleging he conspired with British MI6 agents while mayor.
This case was just the latest in a growing list of over five investigations targeting the Istanbul mayor. Since his election victory in 2019, İmamoğlu has repeatedly been targeted with court cases viewed by many as politically-motivated attempts to handicap the opposition’s likeliest future challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
