03.06.2026 12:10
Ekrem İmamoğlu, who attended the 44th hearing of the corruption case against IBB, celebrated his 55th birthday in the courtroom. During the hearing, his wife Dilek İmamoğlu held a banner saying "I love you, my love. Happy birthday," and the birthday cake candles were blown out. İmamoğlu turned to those in the room and said, "We will see each other on better days. I love you all very much." Meanwhile, during the hearing, Kültür A.Ş. Deputy General Manager Erdinç Çolak fell ill at the defense podium.
The 44th hearing of the case in which 414 defendants, including 68 detainees, among them arrested and suspended Ekrem İmamoğlu, are being tried in the "corruption" case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) has begun.
The hearing, held by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court in the hall opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Execution Institution, was attended by some of the detained defendants, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, former CHP deputy Aykut Erdoğdu, IMM President Advisor and MEDYA AŞ Board Chairman Murat Ongun, IMM Sports Club President Fatih Keleş, and İmamoğlu's lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan, who were all removed from their duties after their arrest.
İMAMOĞLU'S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED IN COURT At the hearing, which was also attended by some non-detained defendants and lawyers, some CHP deputies and relatives of the detained defendants were present as spectators. Meanwhile, when Ekrem İmamoğlu entered the hall, spectators raised papers reading "Happy Birthday" due to it being his birthday.
On the other hand, gendarmerie teams intervened and did not allow a spectator who raised a poster with Ekrem İmamoğlu's photo printed on it.
His wife Dilek İmamoğlu also held up a banner in court reading, "I love you, my love. Happy birthday." Dilek İmamoğlu blew out a birthday candle in the spectator section, while Ekrem İmamoğlu turned to those in the hall and said, "We will see each other on better days. I love you all very much."
Archival photo from İmamoğlu's 50th birthday ERDİNÇ ÇOLAK FELL ILL AT THE DEFENSE PODIUM Meanwhile, Erdinç Çolak, Deputy General Manager of Kültür A. Ş., fell ill while approaching the defense podium. It was learned that Çolak is a diabetes patient. While health teams intervened for Çolak, the defense of the next defendant, Advertiser Ömür Yılmaz, proceeded.
FROM THE INDICTMENT In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau, the Civil Service Inspection Board is listed with the status of "reporter," while the Ministries of Treasury and Finance, Interior, Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture and Forestry, along with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and Şişli Municipality, are listed as "aggrieved parties."
In the indictment, 16 people are listed as "complainants," and a total of 407 people are listed as "defendants," including 7 fugitives and 5 who are "complainant defendants."
The indictment, which describes the activities of the criminal organization since its establishment in 2014 to the present, includes the assessment that "the public loss caused by the benefit obtained from the 143 actions subject to the indictment amounts to approximately 160 billion lira and 24 million dollars in movable assets (excluding current value), and in terms of immovable property, it consists of 95 properties across Istanbul and the country (excluding the assets obtained by the organization's leader and managers from criminal proceeds) as of the dates of the crimes."
In the organization chart included in the indictment, defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu is stated to be the "organization leader," and defendants Murat Ongun, Fatih Keleş, Adem Soytekin, Ertan Yıldız, Hüseyin Gün, and fugitive defendant Murat Gülibrahimoğlu are stated to be the "organization managers."
The chart indicates that 10 organization members are directly linked to Ekrem İmamoğlu, while 77 of the organization members are linked to Fatih Keleş, 35 to Murat Ongun, 8 to Ertan Yıldız, 7 to Hüseyin Gün, 6 to Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, and 6 to Adem Soytekin.
In the indictment, Ekrem İmamoğlu is sought to be punished with a total prison sentence ranging from 849 years to 2,430 years and 6 months for the crimes of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes," "recording personal data," "obtaining and disseminating personal data," "concealing crime 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," "tampering with tenders," "intentional environmental pollution," "violation of the Tax Procedure Law," "violation of the Forestry Law," and "violation of the Mining Law."
In the indictment, Keleş is demanded to be punished with a prison sentence ranging from 556 years and 8 months to 1,542 years and 8 months for 48 counts of "bribery," "accepting bribes," "giving bribes," 55 counts of "tampering with tenders," 39 counts of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," 8 counts of "laundering criminal proceeds," "violation of the Mining Law," "violation of the Forestry Law," "causing environmental pollution," "violation of the Tax Procedure Law," "extortion," "destroying, concealing, or altering crime evidence," and "obstructing communication."
In the indictment, where Ongun is sought to be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 287 years and 6 months to 779 years and 6 months for "bribery," 53 counts of "tampering with tenders," 33 counts of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "giving, disseminating, or obtaining personal data to another person," "publicly disseminating misleading information," and "laundering criminal proceeds," Yıldız is facing a prison term of 86 to 251 years for "bribery," "tampering with tenders," and "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations."
In the indictment, Soytekin is sought to be punished with imprisonment ranging from 67 years to 194 years for the crimes of "bribery," "chain bribery," "extortion," and "laundering criminal proceeds," while Gülibrahimoğlu is sought to be punished with imprisonment ranging from 19 years and 6 months to 51 years for the crimes of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," "laundering criminal proceeds," "forgery of documents," "violation of the Mining Law," "violation of the Forestry Law," "causing environmental pollution," and "violation of the Tax Procedure Law."
In the indictment, where Gün's imprisonment is demanded for 20 to 40 years for the crimes of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes" and "giving, disseminating, or obtaining personal data to another person," it is stated that these defendants, who are in the position of organization managers, should also be punished separately as perpetrators for all crimes committed within the framework of the activities of the organization's structures linked to them.
The indictment requests the application of "effective remorse" provisions for organization manager defendants Adem Soytekin, Hüseyin Gün, and Ertan Yıldız, who provided information about the crimes committed within the framework of the organization's structure and activities after being caught.
In the indictment, which includes a request for a prison sentence of 35 to 91 years for Resul Emrah Şahan, the Mayor of Şişli who was removed from his duty after his arrest, for 5 counts of "accepting bribes," 2 counts of "extortion," "unlawful recording of personal data," "unlawful disclosure or obtaining of personal data," and "being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing crimes," it is also requested that Mehmet Murat Çalık, the Mayor of Beylikdüzü who was removed from his duty after his arrest, be punished with a total imprisonment of 30 to 88 years for 7 counts of "accepting bribes" and "being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing crimes."
JOINED CASE The indictment prepared for 7 defendants, including Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, who was dismissed from his duty after his arrest, had been merged with this case.
In the indictment, it is demanded that detained defendants İnan Güney, İsmail Akkaya, Seyhan Özcan, and non-detained defendants Veysel Eren Güven, Sabriye Akkaya, Mehmet Akif Bulut, and Deniz Göleli be sentenced to prison terms ranging from 9 years and 8 months to 31 years and 8 months for the crimes of "helping an organization established for criminal purposes without being a member" and "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations."
During the trial process, with the release of 42 defendants from the joined case, there are 68 detained defendants in the case.