ISTANBUL (Medyascope) – A landmark trial began yesterday targeting imprisoned Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other officials from the opposition-controlled Istanbul municipality. The trial, which critics allege is politically motivated, is just one from a long list of cases targeting İmamoğlu. The mayor was arrested on March 19th, 2025, and is seen by many as the most viable challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
By Fırat Fıstık . Medyascope
Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence totalling over 2000 years for İmamoğlu in the case that began yesterday. What follows is a list of cases and investigations targeting Istanbul’s popular opposition mayor.
Allegedly insulting Turkey’s Supreme Election Council
İmamoğlu won Istanbul’s mayoral election on March 31st, 2019 by a narrow margin in what was seen at the time as a major blow to President Erdoğan and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). İmamoğlu’s victory, however, was cancelled by Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK) over alleged irregularities, leading to a rerun in June 2019 that İmamoğlu won by a much wider margin.
After taking office, İmamoğlu made a statement in November 2019 saying “Those who cancelled the March 31st election results are fools.” Following this statement, the YSK issued a criminal complaint against the mayor, alleging he had insulted the members of the board. İmamoğlu defended himself, saying he was responding to a statement by then-Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, who had used the word ‘fool’.
As a result, an Istanbul court issued İmamoğlu a 2.5 year prison sentence and political ban in December 2022. This decision was appealed by İmamoğlu’s lawyers and a final resolution in the case is still pending.
Investigation into irregular payments for cultural events
In November 2024, Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor opened an investigation into the opposition-controlled Istanbul and Ankara municipalities over alleged irregular payments for cultural events such as municipality-organized concerts. An indictment in the case has yet to be issued.
Tender rigging
This case alleged tender rigging by İmamoğlu in 2015 during his time as district mayor of Beylikdüzü, a western suburb of Istanbul, prior to becoming Istanbul mayor in summer 2019.
An investigation by the Interior Minister found no wrongdoing by İmamoğlu. The mayor was later exonerated and the case was dropped.
Threats made towards Istanbul Chief Prosecutor
On January 20th, 2025, just two months before his arrest, İmamoğlu made comments on cases targeting opposition-controlled municipalities in Turkey. In his comments, İmamoğlu criticized then-Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek without saying his name explicitly.
Gürlek, who was promoted to Justice Minister of Turkey in February 2026, was responsible for opening numerous investigations into opposition officials throughout 2025.
An investigation was launched by Gürlek following İmamoğlu’s comments, accusing the mayor of ‘threats’ and ‘insulting public officials’ and ‘targeting those engaged in the fight against terrorism’.
İmamoğlu was exonerated on the latter charge, but was found guilty of ‘threats’ and ‘insulting public officials’, leading to a 1.5 year prison sentence.
Threatening an expert witness
This case, opened just a week after the previous one in late January 2025, was launched in response to a speech made by İmamoğlu in which the mayor decried the politicization of the Turkish judiciary.
In his speech, İmamoğlu alleged that a single anonymous witness’ testimony had formed the basis for the litany of investigations targeting opposition politicians across Turkey. An investigation was promptly launched accusing İmamoğlu of ‘attempting to influence an expert witness and influence the legal outcome’.
The case was notable as having been launched while İmamoğlu was still speaking at the podium. A final decision in the case is still pending.
Insulting Tuzla district mayor
This case accused İmamoğlu of insulting Şadi Yazacı, then-mayor of the Istanbul suburb of Tuzla, in an October 2022 speech.
İmamoğlu was cleared of all wrongdoing in December 2023.
Insulting Ordu governor
Just prior to the rerun of Istanbul’s mayoral election in June 2019, İmamoğlu was due to board a flight from Turkey’s Black Sea province of Ordu back to Istanbul. While waiting at the Ordu airport, İmamoğlu and his team were reportedly denied access to the airport’s VIP section, after which İmamoğlu made comments deemed as insulting to Ordu’s AKP-affiliated governor Seddar Yavuz.
In 2021, a court ruled that İmamoğlu pay a fine totalling 7080 Turkish Liras as a result of the incident.
Diploma cancellation case
Just a day before İmamoğlu’s March 2019 arrest, İmamoğlu’s 1990 university degree from İstanbul University was cancelledover alleged irregularities in his transfer from Northern Cyprus’ Girne American University.
A case was then opened requesting over eight years in prison for İmamoğlu on charges that he had faked documents in order to make the university transfer.
The case is significant chiefly because the cancellation of his university degree makes him ineligible for the Turkish presidency. İmamoğlu officially became the presidential candidate of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) on March 24th, 2025.
Espionage case
This case, opened in October 2025, alleges that İmamoğlu and members of his campaign staff shared Istanbul residents’ private data with foreign intelligence services in order to secure campaign funding in the run-up to 2019’s mayoral election.
Cybersecurity analysis has cast doubt on these allegations, which İmamoğlu has described as a ‘conspiracy’ against him.
Turkey’s presidential candidate İmamoğlu faces thousands of years in prison: The list of charges | Article by Fırat Fıstık | Translated by Leo Kendrick
