07.04.2026 13:02
The 17th day of the "corruption" case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality started off tense again. The prosecutor, speaking at the hearing, reacted strongly to Ekrem İmamoğlu's previous statement, "There is only one criminal organization in this case, which is the prosecution," saying, "If you overstep your bounds, we will remind you of your limits." İmamoğlu's lawyer objected, stating, "The president cannot say such a thing," while the presiding judge calmed the parties down.
While the 17th hearing of the "corruption" case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), in which 414 defendants, 92 of whom are detained, is ongoing, the dialogue between the Prosecutor and Ekrem İmamoğlu raised the tension in the courtroom.
PROSECUTOR: IF YOU EXCEED YOUR LIMITS, WE WILL LET YOU KNOW
During the hearing, the prosecutor reacted to the statements made by Ekrem İmamoğlu in the previous hearing. Reminding İmamoğlu of his words, "..there is only one criminal organization in this case, it is the prosecution…" the prosecutor stated that they do not accept these statements, saying, “If you exceed your limits, we will let you know.”
The prosecutor also expressed that İmamoğlu should avoid statements that could influence the trial process, saying, “Your client should be careful with his statements. Refrain from statements that shadow the trial.”
OBJECTION FROM THE LAWYER
İmamoğlu's lawyer Tora Pekin immediately reacted to the prosecutor's words. Pekin objected to the prosecutor's statements, saying, “The president cannot say such a thing.”
THE COURT PRESIDENT INTERVENED
According to reports from Engin Deniz İpek of Cumhuriyet; the court president intervened to reduce the tension between the parties and calmed the environment. The hearing continued with cross-examination.
AN INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN INITIATED
In a statement made by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated, "In some media outlets and social media accounts; during the hearing of the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court's case numbered 2025/318 on April 6, 2026, the words of the defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu, which are understood to have been directed at the judiciary members involved in the investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, known to the public as 'İmamoğlu organized crime group for profit', stating 'there is only one criminal organization in this case, it is the prosecution', have led to an investigation initiated ex officio by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the crime of 'insulting a public official due to their duty'."
414 DEFENDANTS ARE ON TRIAL
With the addition of the Beyoğlu case, the number of defendants in the IMM case has risen to 414. 92 of the defendants are being tried while in detention.
The youngest detainee in the case, IMM Software Engineer Iraz Bayrak, is expected to make a defense during the day, while detained Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney is also anticipated to attend the hearing.
İNAN GÜNEY'S CASE HAS BEEN CONSOLIDATED
On the other hand, the indictment prepared regarding 7 defendants, 3 of whom are detained, including the still detained and suspended Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, has been consolidated with the IMM 'Corruption' case file. After the indictment was accepted by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court, Güney was included as a defendant in the IMM case.
FIFTH WEEK OF HEARINGS
The first hearing was held on March 9, Monday. Since the first hearing of the case, the defenses of 20 people have been taken. There will be no hearing on Friday, while hearings will continue four days a week.
WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 22:00
In the 16th session to be held in the building located in the Marmara Open Prison Campus in Silivri by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court, the defendants will continue their defenses. On the other hand, the court president stated that the hearings could continue until 22:00.
18 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RELEASED
In the last session, the court panel decided to release the defendants, including IMM Private Secretary Kadriye Kasapoğlu, Özgür Karabat’s driver Sırrı Küçük, Ağaç A.Ş employee Fatih Yağcı, businessman Ali Üner, businessman Evren Şirolu, businessman Ebubekir Akın, İSPER personnel Davut Bildik, Altan Ertürk, Hüseyin Yurttaş, Murat Ongun’s driver Kadir Öztürk, Mustafa Bostancı, Kadriye Kasapoğlu’s driver Sabri Caner Kırca, Baran Gönül, Mahir Gün, Esra Huri Bulduk, Şehide Zehra Keleş Yüksel, Başak Tatlı, and municipal officer Nazan Başelli.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it is stated that İnan Güney is an unofficial but practically a partner in the company named 3K, which is represented by the defendants of the "İmamoğlu organized crime group for profit" case, Serkan Öztürk and Rauf Cem Istıranca, and that he has directed irregular tenders and direct jobs to this company, which were carried out under the instructions of the organization leader Ekrem İmamoğlu during his tenure as the General Manager of BELTAŞ and as the Mayor of Beyoğlu, through the organization member Kağan Sürmegöz (defendant in the İmamoğlu organized crime group case).
The indictment notes that Güney is a close classmate of Öztürk, who is the official of the mentioned company, from university, and that their friendship turned into a commercial partnership during Güney's tenure as the General Manager of Beltaş and Mayor of Beyoğlu, with this being explicitly acknowledged in Öztürk's statement, where he claimed that "Güney directed and passed jobs to the 3K company."
The indictment states, "There are statements indicating that suspect İnan Güney has carried out many irregular jobs and transactions in outdoor advertising media and has gained unjust profits, and it is understood from the statements in the file that the unjust profits obtained by the suspect were spent on the organization leader Ekrem İmamoğlu and his own illegal political ambitions."
In the prepared indictment, it is requested that the detained defendants İnan Güney, İsmail Akkaya, Seyhan Özcan, and the non-detained defendants Veysel Eren Güven, Sabriye Akkaya, Mehmet Akif Bulut, and Deniz Göleli be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 9 years and 8 months to 31 years and 8 months for "not being a member of an organization established for the purpose of committing a crime but aiding" and "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations."