09.03.2026 14:41
The first hearing of the case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) regarding corruption allegations, which includes 402 defendants, 106 of whom are in custody, began at the Marmara Open Penitentiary Institution in Silivri. Tension arose between Ekrem İmamoğlu and the court panel in the morning hours. The court panel left the courtroom. The hearing resumed at 14:00 after a "mandatory" break. Meanwhile, Aziz İhsan Aktaş, the defendant who is not in custody, also arrived in the courtroom.
A total of 402 defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested on March 23 in the İBB corruption case, are appearing before the judge for the first time today, with 107 of them in custody.
The hearing, which started in the No. 1 courtroom at the Marmara Open Penitentiary Institution in Silivri, will first summarize the indictment, and then the defendants will present their defenses. The hearings will continue four days a week until the end of April.
Here are the events in the courtroom:
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik, Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, and Selim İmamoğlu entered the courtroom at 09:52.
REQUEST FOR GREETING SPEECH
During the hearing, the detained defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, were brought into the courtroom under the escort of gendarmerie. The non-detained defendants were also present in the courtroom. In response to the lawyer's statement, "We request that Mr. Ekrem give a greeting speech," the Presiding Judge replied, "There is no such procedure. Legally, it does not exist."
DISPUTE WITH THE PRESIDING JUDGE
Subsequently, a dispute occurred between İmamoğlu and the presiding judge when İmamoğlu wanted to speak during the hearing. After the argument, the presiding judge decided to clear the audience from the courtroom.
MICROPHONE WAS TURNED OFF
İmamoğlu's request to speak during the hearing was rejected by the presiding judge. A brief argument ensued between the parties after İmamoğlu's microphone was turned off.
The presiding judge said, "Mr. Ekrem, you cannot continue like this on your own. If you continue like this, I will remove you from the hearing." İmamoğlu responded to these words, "I find it wrong for you to start the trial in this way."
REACTIONS IN THE COURTROOM INCREASED
The presiding judge's use of the term "you" when addressing İmamoğlu led to reactions from the audience in the courtroom. The audience responded with chants of "you" in return.
After the argument, the court panel announced its interim decision. The decision stated that despite not being given the right to speak, defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu continued to speak at the podium and disrupted the order of the hearing. The panel indicated that if similar behaviors were repeated, İmamoğlu could be removed from the courtroom.
DECISION TO EMPTY THE COURTROOM, PANEL LEFT THE HEARING
As the reactions in the courtroom continued, the presiding judge stated, "I will not continue the trial in this way," and decided to clear the audience section. While gendarmerie teams directed the audience to leave, it was observed that some members of parliament objected to the decision. The court panel left the courtroom after the tension that occurred.
BREAK UNTIL 13:30
The hearing was adjourned until 13:30 in the afternoon. İmamoğlu's lawyers Tora Pekin and Erinç Sağkan, the President of the Turkish Bar Association, held a new meeting with the court panel. The hearing will continue with an audience present.
HEARING STARTS WITH A HALF-HOUR DELAY: DETAINEES RETURN TO THE COURTROOM
The hearing, which was supposed to start at 13:30, begins with a half-hour delay.
CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik warned the audience, saying, "Let's show maximum sensitivity regarding applause and filming during the trial." The detainees are taking their places.
İMAMOĞLU RETURNED TO THE COURTROOM
Ekrem İmamoğlu was brought into the courtroom to loud applause. He greeted the audience and took his seat. İmamoğlu was holding a book titled "Entrusted to the Nation."
AZİZ İHSAN AKTAŞ ALSO IN THE COURTROOM
Aziz İhsan Aktaş, a non-detained defendant in the case, also arrived in the courtroom. The gendarmerie accompanied Aziz İhsan Aktaş as he entered the courtroom. Aktaş sat behind the detained defendants.
REQUEST FOR UP TO 2,000 YEARS IN PRISON FOR İMAMOĞLU
The 'corruption' investigation against Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was arrested and removed from the position of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, was completed, and an indictment of 3,809 pages was prepared on November 11, 2025. In the indictment, Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose name was mentioned as 'Organization Leader,' is accused of committing crimes such as 'Establishing an Organization for the Purpose of Committing Crimes,' 'Bribery,' 'Money Laundering,' 'Fraud to the Detriment of Public Institutions and Organizations,' 'Recording Personal Data,' 'Obtaining and Disseminating Personal Data,' 'Concealing Criminal Evidence,' 'Obstructing Communication,' 'Causing Damage to Public Property,' 'Receiving Bribes,' 'Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information,' 'Extortion,' 'Laundering Assets Derived from Crime,' 'Interfering with Tenders,' 'Deliberately Polluting the Environment,' 'Violating the Tax Procedure Law,' 'Violating the Forest Law,' and 'Violating the Mining Law.' İmamoğlu is requested to be sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 828 years and 2 months to 2,352 years for 142 actions.