12.03.2026 15:30
The trial of the "corruption" case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has been unable to take place for four days due to tensions in the courtroom. Ekrem İmamoğlu defended the journalists during a debate that started regarding the position of the members of the press in the courtroom. The presiding judge stated that order could not be maintained and ended the session. The fifth hearing will be held on Monday, March 16.
The trial of the corruption case involving 407 defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was removed from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) presidency, continues on its fourth day with 107 detainees. It was observed that the intensity of the gendarmerie was increased during the fourth day of the hearing, where security measures were still in place. The fourth hearing of the case, which is being heard by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court, is taking place in courtroom No. 1, located across from the Marmara Closed Penitentiary Institution.
The hearing began with the defense of Ümit Polat, the Purchasing Manager of Ağaç A.Ş., who is a whistleblower, but the tensions experienced today were short-lived.
PROSECUTOR REQUESTED IMAMOGLU'S REMOVAL FROM THE COURTROOM
While the prosecutor was asking Ümit Polat about the table showing the budget movements of Ağaç A.Ş. in the indictment, Ekrem İmamoğlu objected, saying, "I oppose the prosecution's reflection of a false table. The prosecution is a slanderous body that speaks lies, lies. Your Honor, please do not allow lies."
The Prosecutor requested that İmamoğlu be removed from the courtroom for allegedly insulting him, in accordance with Article 204 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The Court President did not evaluate the request. İmamoğlu wanted to speak regarding Ağaç A.Ş. The Court President stated that he could not grant İmamoğlu the right to respond to the allegations one by one, but would give him the right to speak collectively at the end.
TENSION ARISES OVER THE POSITION OF JOURNALISTS
As the hearing was interrupted, İmamoğlu answered questions from the press, stating as he left the courtroom, "These only serve one person and one family. I will serve 86 million. They are also harming those they serve." Regarding Ümit Polat's defense, İmamoğlu said, "They made a table saying it would cost 20 billion a month. The annual budget of this institution is 5 billion. It is the prosecution that prepared this table."
During this time, the Court President informed the bailiff to send a message to the press members, stating that it was decided to return the lawyers' seats to their original places. However, the press members insisted on not moving to the distant location in the courtroom to follow the hearing more effectively. In response, the Court President said, "We acted in good faith, but we saw that it was abused." The journalists' question, "What did we do to abuse?" went unanswered, while İmamoğlu supported the press members.
COURT PRESIDENT ENDED THE HEARING
The Court President said, "We are in a constant bargaining situation, let's take a 10-minute break," and ordered the removal of the detained defendants from the courtroom. The Court President decided to end today's hearing on the grounds that "order could not be maintained." The fifth session of the case will continue on March 16, Monday.
FROM THE INDICTMENT
In the 3,809-page indictment completed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on November 11, 2025, the Presidency of the Civil Service Inspection Board is listed as the "whistleblower," while the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Environment and Urbanization, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and the Şişli Municipality are listed as "victims of the crime." Sixteen individuals are listed as "complainants," five as "complainant-suspects," and 402 individuals, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, are listed as "suspects." In the prepared indictment, Ekrem İmamoğlu is described as the founder and leader of the organization, while Fatih Keleş, Murat Ongun, Ertan Yıldız, Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, Adem Soytekin, and Hüseyin Gün are referred to as "organization managers." The indictment states that İmamoğlu is charged with "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," 12 counts of "bribery," 7 counts of "money laundering," 2 counts of "recording personal data," 2 counts of "seizing or disseminating personal data," 4 counts of "hiding criminal evidence," "obstructing communication," "damaging public property," 47 counts of "receiving bribes," "publicly disseminating misleading information," 9 counts of "extortion," 46 counts of "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," 4 counts of "money laundering from crime proceeds," 70 counts of "interfering with a tender," "deliberately polluting the environment," "violating the Tax Procedure Law," "violating the Forest Law," and "violating the Mining Law," with a total request for imprisonment of up to 2,430 years. Additionally, the prepared indictment stated that the total public damage was 160 billion TL and 24 million dollars from the date of the crime.