The imprisoned mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, appeared in court as the main defendant in a major corruption trial that his supporters say is politically motivated.
İmamoğlu, 55, is facing more than 140 charges, including corruption and allegedly leading a criminal organisation. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of up to 2,430 years if he is found guilty.
The mayor and his party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), strongly deny the accusations. They claim the case is part of a political crackdown by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his allies, who they say are trying to weaken the opposition as the president’s popularity declines.
Before his arrest, İmamoğlu was widely viewed as one of the few politicians capable of defeating Erdoğan in a future presidential election. He had recently been selected as the CHP’s presidential candidate for the 2028 election.
The trial began on Monday inside a courtroom at Marmara prison, where İmamoğlu has been held since his arrest in March last year. setback for Erdoğan and his party.
Another 407 of Imamoglu’s supporters have also been put on trial, accused of running a criminal corruption network headed by the opposition figure, who prosecutors describe as its “founder and leader”.
Imamoglu was greeted by his supporters with cheers and whistles as he entered the courtroom in the Marmara prison on Monday.
But it was not long before proceedings were brought to a halt by the judge after the politician contested the judge’s decision to hear the testimony of other defendants before his in the trial.
The judge called the protest disrespectful and ordered a recess until the afternoon, just 15 minutes after the hearing had started.
Present in the courtroom were Imamoglu’s wife, Dilek, and CHP leader Ozgur Ozel.
Imamoglu was arrested in March last year on the day he was named as the CHP’s presidential candidate for 2028.
His detention triggered the country’s largest street protests in more than a decade, followed by hundreds of arrests and a police crackdown.
