ISTANBUL -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted NATO leaders in Ankara on Wednesday amidst ongoing legal challenges for his primary political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was defending himself in court against corruption charges. Imamoglu, a member of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was arrested in March 2025.
Critics contend that a crackdown on the CHP, which has seen hundreds of party members and elected officials detained over the past two years, is aimed at weakening Turkey’s largest opposition party. Imamoglu, appearing in a court specially constructed near the Silivri prison complex, protested his exclusion from hearings for nearly a week, citing "disruptive behavior" and a disregard for his legal rights.
During the proceedings, Imamoglu questioned the silencing of opposition voices in the context of Turkey hosting international leaders. The CHP designated Imamoglu as its presidential candidate shortly after his arrest, positioning him as a potential challenger to Erdogan's 23-year tenure.
The government asserts the independence of Turkey's judicial system.
The current hearing concerns the most significant case against Imamoglu, which alleges he led a criminal organization involved in widespread corruption during his time as head of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. The indictment, spanning 3,900 pages, details 142 charges, including the establishment of what prosecutors term the "Imamoglu criminal organization for profit" since 2015, when he served as mayor of Istanbul’s Beylikduzu district. The prosecution claims the organization aimed to financially benefit Imamoglu and 413 co-defendants through bid rigging and payoffs, while also funding his political ascent within the CHP and ultimately his presidential ambitions.
Imamoglu stated that the prosecution had failed to present "a single piece of evidence or document" or "a single audio recording" to substantiate the charges. Conviction could result in a prison sentence exceeding 2,000 years. The court indicated that submissions would conclude Thursday, leaving Imamoglu one day for his defense.
Separately, the Bakirkoy Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul initiated a new criminal investigation into Imamoglu for "threatening a public official" based on remarks made in court about judging those who prepared the indictment against him.
These legal proceedings occur as Imamoglu faces multiple cases. On Monday, the 62nd hearing in the corruption case coincided with hearings in two other separate cases: one alleging fraudulent acquisition of his bachelor's degree in 1994, and another claiming political and military espionage.
Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament rapporteur for Turkey, noted the timing of these hearings, suggesting a connection to the NATO summit in Ankara. Imamoglu gained prominence in 2019 by winning Istanbul for the CHP, ending 25 years of rule by Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its predecessors in Turkey's largest city. He retained his mayoral seat in the 2024 local elections, where the CHP achieved further gains against the AKP. Turkey's next presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2028, though earlier elections are possible.