25.03.2026 11:21
On the 10th day of the "corruption" case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, voices of "Happy Birthday" rose in the courtroom due to the birthday of the detained İPA President Buğra Gökce. The detained Ekrem İmamoğlu congratulated Gökce on his birthday by hugging him.
In the "corruption" case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), 407 defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, are appearing before the judge. The 10th hearing began around 10:30 AM.
THIRD WEEK OF HEARINGS
The first hearing was held on March 9, Monday. While there are no hearings on Fridays, the hearings, which continue for 4 days a week, entered their third week on March 23, Monday. Since March 9, a total of 12 people have made their defense.
WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 10:00 PM
In the 10th hearing to be held in the building located in the Marmara Open Prison Campus in Silivri by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court, the defendants' defenses are still being taken. On the other hand, the Court President stated that the hearings could continue until 10:00 PM.
BUĞRA GÖKCE'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED
Before the hearing began, voices of "Happy Birthday" rose in the courtroom for the birthday of the detained defendant Buğra Gökce, the President of the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA). The detained Ekrem İmamoğlu hugged Gökce and celebrated his birthday.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment prepared by the Organized Crimes Investigation Office of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the Presidency of the Civil Service Inspection Board is listed as the "whistleblower," while the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and the Şişli Municipality are listed as "victims of the crime."
Additionally, the indictment states that a total of 407 people are "defendants," including 16 "complainants," 107 detained, 7 fugitives, and 5 "complainant defendants."
The indictment describes the activities of the criminal organization since its establishment in 2014, stating that "the public damage caused by the benefits obtained from the 143 actions subject to the indictment amounts to approximately 160 billion Turkish liras and 24 million US dollars in movable assets (excluding the assets obtained from the criminal proceeds of the organization’s leader and managers) and consists of 95 real estate properties in Istanbul and across the country."
The organizational chart included in the indictment indicates that the detained defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu is the "leader of the organization," while detained defendants Murat Ongun, Fatih Keleş, and Adem Soytekin, as well as the non-detained defendant Ertan Yıldız, another defendant detained for another crime, and fugitive defendant Murat Gülibrahimoğlu are also noted as "organization managers."
The chart shows that 10 members of the organization are directly connected to Ekrem İmamoğlu, while 77 members are connected to Fatih Keleş, 35 to Murat Ongun, 8 to Ertan Yıldız, 7 to Hüseyin Gün, 6 to Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, and 6 to Adem Soytekin.
The indictment requests that Ekrem İmamoğlu be sentenced to a total of 849 years to 2,430 years and 6 months in prison for crimes including "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "recording personal data," "seizing and disseminating personal data," "hiding criminal evidence," "obstructing communication," "damaging public property," "bribery," "publicly disseminating misleading information," "extortion," "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "laundering assets derived from crime," "interfering with a tender," "deliberately polluting the environment," "violating the Tax Procedure Law," "violating the Forestry Law," and "violating the Mining Law."
The indictment states that Keleş is requested to be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 556 years and 8 months to 1,542 years and 8 months for 48 counts of "bribery," "receiving bribes," "giving bribes," 55 counts of "interfering with a tender," 39 counts of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," 8 counts of "laundering criminal proceeds," "violating the Mining Law," "violating the Forestry Law," "causing environmental pollution," "violating the Tax Procedure Law," "extortion," "destroying, hiding, or altering criminal evidence," and "obstructing communication."
The indictment requests that Ongun be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 287 years and 6 months to 779 years and 6 months for "bribery," 53 counts of "interfering with a tender," 33 counts of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "disclosing, disseminating, or seizing personal data," "publicly disseminating misleading information," and "laundering criminal proceeds." It is anticipated that Yıldız will face imprisonment ranging from 86 years to 251 years for "bribery," "interfering with a tender," and "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations."
The indictment requests that Soytekin be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 67 years to 194 years for "bribery," "chain bribery," "extortion," and "laundering criminal proceeds," while Gülibrahimoğlu is requested to be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 19 years and 6 months to 51 years for "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "laundering criminal proceeds," "forgery in documents," "violating the Mining Law," "violating the Forestry Law," "causing environmental pollution," and "violating the Tax Procedure Law."
The indictment requests that Gün be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 20 years to 40 years for "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "disclosing, disseminating, or seizing personal data," and states that these defendants, who are in the position of organization managers, should also be punished as perpetrators for all crimes committed within the framework of the activities of the structures affiliated with the organization.
The indictment requests that the provisions of "effective remorse" be applied to the organization manager defendants Adem Soytekin, Hüseyin Gün, and Ertan Yıldız, who provided information about the structure and activities of the organization after their capture.
The indictment includes a request for a total prison sentence ranging from 35 years to 91 years for Şişli Mayor Emrah Resul Şahan, who was suspended from his position after his arrest, for 5 counts of "receiving bribes," 2 counts of "extortion," "illegally recording personal data," "illegally disclosing or seizing personal data," and "being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing a crime." It also requests that Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, who was suspended from his position after his arrest, be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 30 years to 88 years for 7 counts of "receiving bribes" and "being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing a crime."