EditIstanbul mayor faces up to 2,430 years in prison in massive corruption indictment
Ekrem İmamoğlu is accused of founding and leading a vast criminal organisation that allegedly inflicted millions in damages on state and municipal bodies
In a dramatic escalation of Turkey’s most watched political-legal showdown, the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office has filed a staggering 3,900-page indictment against 407 defendants, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, accusing him of founding and leading a vast criminal organisation that allegedly inflicted 160 billion Turkish lira ($ and $24 million in damages on the state and municipal bodies.
Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek announced the charges, which encompass 143 separate crimes: establishing a criminal syndicate, bribery, public fraud, tender rigging, money laundering, misuse of personal data, violations of forestry and mining laws, environmental pollution, and spreading misinformation.
Of the defendants, 105 are in custody, 170 under judicial supervision, 7 fugitive, and 5 classified as both victims and suspects.
At the heart stands İmamoğlu – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief rival and the Republican People’s Party (CHP) frontrunner for 2028 – portrayed as the “founder, organizer, and leadership core.” Prosecutors seek up to 2,430 years for him alone, citing 12 bribery cases, 7 money-laundering counts, 7 instances of defrauding public institutions, 70 tender manipulations, and dozens more offenses involving data abuse and evidence tampering. Key lieutenants named include deputies Fatih Keleş, Murat Ongun, Ertan Yıldız, Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, Adem Soytekin, and Hüseyin Gün.
The indictment’s bombshell allegations center on a 2021–2025 illegal waste-dumping scheme coordinated by Gülibrahimoğlu: 185.8 million tons of construction debris diverted to unlicensed sites, including active mines, generating 31 billion lira in illicit profits while causing 81 billion lira in environmental and mining damage. Separately, 19.8 billion lira from a 69.5 billion lira international loan—intended for infrastructure—was allegedly rerouted to offshore accounts, with 13.8 billion lira funneled through municipal holdings to organization-linked firms, costing the state another 39.8 billion lira.
Ninety-five properties across Istanbul and beyond are flagged for seizure. Injured parties include the Finance, Interior, Energy, and Agriculture ministries, plus the Istanbul Environment Directorate and municipalities.
Though prosecutors insist the case is “purely criminal” backed by “irrefutable evidence,” opposition leaders decry it as a blatant politically motivated witch-hunt to sideline İmamoğlu ahead of future elections.
The government rejects such claims, framing it as a landmark anti-corruption drive.
The Istanbul High Criminal Court must now decide whether to accept the indictment—potentially greenlighting one of Turkey’s largest-ever trials. With investigations ongoing against additional suspects, the saga risks deepening the country’s polarized divide between Erdoğan’s AKP and the opposition CHP.
Caption: People hold the pictures of Ekrem Imamoglu during a rally organized by the country’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), to protest the suspension and imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoglu, in front of the Istanbul Courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey, 26 October 2025. Jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was brought to the Istanbul Courthouse to give testimony after being hit by a new charge of espionage. EPA/ERDEM SAHIN
Updated: November 12, 2025 - 07:42
