Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been detained and taken to court under police escort, Turkish media reported on Wednesday.
Detention warrants have been issued for 100 people, including the mayor’s press advisor Murat Ongun, as part of the investigation against İmamoğlu. His residence in the Sarıyer neighbourhood was searched.
“We are facing serious bullying. But I want you to know that I will not be afraid. I love you all very much, I trust myself to the people. Let all my people know that I will stand upright,” İmamoğlu addressed the voters, adding that he “will continue to fight.”
The Sabah newspaper had earlier announced a large-scale anti-corruption operation in Istanbul related to tenders and contracts. The day before, İmamoğlu’s business management degree from Istanbul University was cancelled at the request of the Turkish Prosecutor General’s Office, preventing him from running for president. The country’s constitution allows candidates with a completed university degree to run.
Several investigations have been launched against İmamoğlu since the beginning of the year, including one about “influencing an investigation, expert or witness” after he said a “bought expert” prepared falsified reports against the RNP and its representatives in local authorities.
Another trial relates to the mayor’s remarks about Istanbul’s attorney general and his family. In 2022, İmamoğlu was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison and banned from political activity on charges of insulting members of the Turkish Central Election Commission. He then called the cancellation of the results of Istanbul’s 2019 mayoral election, which he won, “nonsense.” The verdict has been appealed and is pending before an appeals court.
İmamoğlu has led Istanbul since 2019. The Opposition Alliance considered his candidacy for nomination in the 2023 Turkish presidential election, but the then incumbent CHP chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu took part. He became the main rival of current leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The latter won with over 52 per cent of the vote, while his opponent garnered just under 48 per cent.
