Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s trial begins on corruption charges, with critics calling it a political move to block his presidential challenge to Erdogan.
ISTANBUL: Istanbul’s jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu went on trial Monday in a sprawling corruption case. Critics denounce the proceedings as a politically motivated bid to scupper his chances of challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Arrested last year on March 19, Imamoglu is to appear at Silivri court for the opening of a sweeping graft case. Prosecutors are seeking a 2,430-year jail term for the 54-year-old opposition figure.
He faces 142 offences ranging from graft to embezzlement and espionage. The indictment runs nearly 4,000 pages and includes more than 400 other defendants.
Prosecutors accuse him of running a sprawling criminal network over which he exerted influence “like an octopus”. Imamoglu was jailed the day he was named the presidential candidate of the main opposition CHP.
He is widely seen as one of the only politicians capable of defeating Erdogan at the ballot box in elections due before mid-2028. Applause erupted as Imamoglu and scores of other defendants entered the packed courtroom.
Spectators shouted “We are proud of you!” according to journalists tweeting from the scene. With all protests banned within a one-kilometre radius, supporters gathered at a distance waving images of Imamoglu.
They chanted “President Imamoglu!” and shouted that the ruling AKP would one day be held accountable. The trial has been widely denounced by rights groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
Both condemned the “weaponisation” of Turkey’s justice system to remove political opponents. “This prosecution bears the hallmarks of an attempt to intimidate political opponents of the government and silence wider dissent,” said Amnesty’s deputy director for Europe.
The court limited the number of journalists covering the trial to 25, including five international representatives. CHP officials said a new courtroom built for the massive trial was not completed on time.
At Monday’s hearing, a summary of the indictment was read out. The court will decide on the time frame for hearing the case.
Among those present were CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and Imamoglu’s wife Dilek. She said their request for the trial to be broadcast live had been ignored.
“I visited him last week and his morale is quite good,” she told reporters. Since the CHP’s resounding victory in the March 2024 local elections, it has faced a sweeping legal crackdown.
Fifteen of its mayors are now behind bars. Analysts say Imamoglu almost certainly will not be able to run in the next presidential race.
He faces another significant legal obstacle: a lawsuit challenging the validity of his university degree. A degree is a constitutional requirement for presidential candidates in Turkey.
Should he be barred, political observers expect CHP leader Ozel to emerge as the likely candidate. The trial continues amid intense domestic and international scrutiny.
