The criminal court in Istanbul on 23 March chose arrest as a preventive measure for the mayor of Turkey’s largest city Ekrem Imamoglu, the politician will soon be taken to prison, Turkish media reported. As A haver TV channel noted in its broadcast, the court granted the prosecutor’s office’s request to remand the Istanbul mayor in custody while the cases against him are being heard.
Imamoglu is accused in two cases. One relates to corruption in the mayor’s office and the other to promoting terrorism. The arrest took place in the corruption case. The prosecution’s motion lists charges of “aiding and abetting an armed terrorist organisation”, “creating a criminal organisation”, “falsifying tender results”, and “bribery”.
Mass protests continue in Turkey after the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, one of the main political opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey’s Interior Ministry reported on 22 March that 343 protesters were detained in nine cities, notably Ankara and Istanbul, on Friday alone.
Ekrem Imamoglu was detained on the morning of 19 March. He and about 100 others were accused of corruption offences and forming a criminal group that extorted businesses.
Imamoglu, whom the Republican People’s Party (CHP) is preparing to nominate as a presidential candidate, called the case politically motivated. He said on social media that the investigation was a “political coup” and called on citizens to fight back.
Turkey’s Justice Ministry says the case is not politically motivated.