Istanbul’s Chief public prosecutor has filed an indictment against the city’s jailed Mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, accusing him of 142 offences tied to corruption and organized crime, and seeking a total prison sentence exceeding 2,000 years.
The indictment, which runs to nearly 4,000 pages, charges the popular opposition figure who was arrested on March 19, 2025, with offences including running a criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and tender rigging.
Imamoglu, a prominent opposition figure widely seen as a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested in March along with several municipal officials who were accused of running a criminal organization, accepting bribes, extortion and bid-rigging.
He has strongly denied all allegations. Critics view the accusations as a politically motivated effort to weaken the main opposition. His arrest triggered the largest wave of public demonstrations in Turkey in over a decade.
Chief Prosecutor Akın Gurlek said that the indictment is 3,900 pages and names 402 suspects including Imamoglu as the Chief suspect.
According to Gurlek’s office, Imamoglu was charged with organizing a criminal group, 12 counts of bribery, seven counts of money laundering and seven counts of fraud. Additionally, he is held responsible for multiple crimes allegedly committed by others including bribery, fraud and tender-rigging.
A trial date is expected to be set once the court formally accepts the indictment. If convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to 2,352 years in prison, according to the indictment.
The corruption case is one of several legal proceedings targeting Imamoglu. Last month, prosecutors filed espionage charges against him related to an investigation of his political campaign and a businessman arrested in July for reportedly conducting intelligence activities on behalf of foreign governments.
Imamoglu is accused of transferring personal data of Istanbul residents to secure international funding for his campaign. He has dismissed the charges as “nonsense.”
Other ongoing legal cases include allegations of insulting members of the Supreme Election Council, threats and insults directed at Gurlek, the prosecutor, and accusations of diploma and document forgery.
Critics deem the legal cases, along with cases against other Mayors and officials from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, as part of a broader crackdown following a strong performance in last year’s local elections.
Several municipalities run by the party have faced waves of arrests throughout the year. The government rejects the accusations, insisting the judiciary is independent and the investigations are focused on corruption or other wrongdoing.
Turkey’s Opposition Leader Slams Charges
Turkey’s opposition leader, Özgür Özel said on X that the charges were intended to prevent İmamoğlu running for President in the 2028 election.
“This case is not legal, it is entirely political. Its purpose is to stop the Republican People’s party (CHP), which came first in the last local elections, and to block its presidential candidate.”
Özgür Özel
In an address to parliament today, Özel said that İmamoğlu would be the party’s candidate in the next presidential vote.
He said before the indictment was released, “Can someone be both an electoral fraudster, hold a forged decree and be a thief, a terrorist and a spy all at the same time?”
“If you accused an innocent person of just one of these crimes, it would be a great injustice. But when you put all of them on one person, it’s a major crime … But his only crime is running for the presidency of this country.”
Özgür Özel
The CHP has been under increasing pressure since it won control of Turkey’s largest cities in local elections in March 2024. Sixteen of its Mayors have since been jailed.
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