19.03.2025 14:20
The activities at the home of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was detained on charges of leading a criminal organization involved in money laundering, bribery, fraud, and tampering with tenders, as well as allegedly aiding a terrorist organization within the framework of "urban reconciliation" activities, were captured from the air.
The Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, was detained at his home in Sarıyer on charges of leading a criminal organization, money laundering, bribery, fraud, and interfering with tenders, as well as allegedly aiding a terrorist organization within the framework of 'city consensus' activities.
NOTABLE ACTIVITY AT HOME The activity at İmamoğlu's home, where he was detained in the morning hours, was captured from the air. The footage showed people close to İmamoğlu arriving at the house.
"THIS CANNOT BE ACCEPTED" One of these individuals was CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. CHP Chairman Özgür Özel visited the family of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the detained President of the Turkish Municipalities Union (TBB) and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB). Özel met with İmamoğlu's wife, Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, his eldest son Selim İmamoğlu, and his daughter Beren İmamoğlu, stating, "As of last night, they officially suspended the constitution by saying the diploma was canceled. No one has any guarantees. So whether you have a diploma, a title deed, or a bank account, none of them are valid anymore. Today is also a direct coup attempt. In the past, coups were carried out in a very classic way. Then there were memorandums, or post-modern coups... Now, they are making a preemptive coup for the future. They are attempting a coup against the future president so that the people do not determine this government. Since when has a decision been made for early elections or pre-elections; as we speed up, they speed up, as we speed up, they speed up," he said.
HE DESCRIBED THE MESSAGES EXCHANGED AMONG THEM Özel stated, "We, along with all our friends, have been preparing for the primary election for a month with President Ekrem, while also preparing for the worst." He continued, "Ten days ago, I sent a 'good morning' message to President Ekrem - we woke up to such a bad day again. He also sent me a message. He said, 'Mr. President, wherever I am on the 23rd, that ballot box must be set up.' Even though he felt there was no guarantee of where he would be on the 23rd, he expressed his faith in this matter. We will invite both CHP members and everyone to support President Ekrem on Sunday and to the voting centers. We will invite all our party members to come to vote and to stand together with the Republican People's Party and President Ekrem, that is, to stand together with the party entrusted by the founder of the Republic of Turkey and the Republic itself, to support President Ekrem, and to support the presidency. All our members will lead and accompany everyone who wants to come to the voting places. We will stand by President Ekrem arm in arm," he expressed.
"WE HAVE NO GUARANTEE OTHER THAN THE PEOPLE'S SUPPORT" Özel stated, "We have no guarantee other than the support of this nation," and continued:
"Because the state's prosecutor, judge, police, and governor do not support President Ekrem. The state has changed hands. The state is currently sending these people, when the nation calls them, to the army, paying taxes, sacrificing their sons and children, sacrificing their spouses, but they do not surrender to anything; they do not give their ballot boxes to anyone. If the state stands against the nation, the nation wins. In fact, on March 31, governors, district governors, the entire state, all ministers, everyone was against us; President Ekrem won this. Now, if they are going to compete the nation against the state again, it may be a bit more difficult, but in the end, the nation will win, and what the nation says will happen. In the end, what Kenan Evren said did not happen. What Fethullah Gülen said on July 15 did not happen. On July 15, both I and President Ekrem were on the side of democracy. We did not seek to benefit from this coup. We did not say, 'Let them go, and we will come.' We said, 'If the nation brings it, it will bring it.' The nation will support the president."
"NO ONE RECOGNIZES THE NATIONAL WILL RIGHT NOW" Özel expressed, "I am also sorry for Tayyip Bey from this perspective," stating, "He was removed from the İBB presidency. We did not find that right at the time either. We said, 'It cannot be done with just reading a poem.' Later, the Republican People's Party opened a political path for him with a constitutional amendment at that time. In other words, it opened the way for the prime ministry. He was the chairman of his party. Then he came to the positions he reached through elections, always saying 'national will.' Apparently, this national will is a crown when it is given to him, but when it is Ekrem President, it is overthrown. Right now, no one recognizes the national will. The nation placed President Ekrem at the head of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to remove him. This cannot be accepted. Sooner or later, I hope they will see this reaction from the nation and take a step back. But sooner or later, what the nation says will happen," he stated.
"WE WILL FIGHT ALONGSIDE THE NATION FOR EKREM" Following Özel, Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu spoke, stating:
"My Chairman; we will stand strong, we will support him. Because we know that this is not a personal matter. This has now become a matter that belongs to the country and society. You also know that whoever has been wronged, everyone has fought for Ekrem. Now, we will fight for Ekrem together with the nation. We will not give up, of course, we will not surrender. No matter how big the operation is, it will not stop us. And we all know that this great operation is nothing but a political purpose. Otherwise, it would not be like this. Yesterday, the diploma was canceled, and this morning there was such an operation... It is clear that it is a political operation. It is an operation to eliminate, sidelining, and finishing the future president who will govern this country. This is a great coup against the country. We will fight. We must fight. Because none of us will have safety for life and property in this country anymore. This is not just about you or me. It is a matter that concerns all of us."