19.03.2025 09:31
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was taken into custody at his home in the morning as part of bribery and terrorism operations. In response to this decision by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, CHP leader Özgür Özel stated, "We are facing an attempted coup against our next president..."
As part of the operation initiated by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, an arrest warrant was issued for Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and 100 others. While the prosecutor's office is conducting two separate investigations, İmamoğlu was taken into custody. İmamoğlu and the defendants are accused in the first investigation of "acting in concert with the PKK" and "placing PKK members in jobs," while in the second investigation, they are accused of corruption and accepting bribes.
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made a statement regarding the arrest warrant for İmamoğlu.
In a statement made on social media, Özel used the following expressions:
"Using power to make decisions on behalf of the people, to replace the will of the people, or to obstruct it is a coup. Right now, there is a power in place to prevent the people from determining the next president. We are facing a coup attempt against our next president... Our nation loves its state, but if the state stands against the nation by some individuals, the nation will not allow this. The real power is the nation, and in the end, the nation will win... It will be so again. We will not surrender. In the end, what the nation says will prevail, and Turkey will win."