09.03.2026 17:20
The first day of the trial regarding the corruption allegations against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has ended. At the end of the hearing, which will continue tomorrow, Ekrem İmamoğlu reacted to the court panel by saying, "You will escape from here. You will have to account for this." The prosecutor responded to İmamoğlu, saying, "Ekrem İmamoğlu, know your place."
The first day of the İBB trial has ended, and the hearing will continue tomorrow.
İMAMOĞLU IN FRONT OF THE JUDGE IN THE İBB CORRUPTION TRIAL
The first hearing of the case regarding "İmamoğlu's organized crime group," in which 407 defendants are being tried, including 107 in custody and 5 as "complainant defendants," was held today.
The hearing, conducted by the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court in a hall opposite the Marmara Closed Prison, was attended by 107 detained defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), who was suspended from his duties after his arrest, Şişli Mayor Emrah Resul Şahan, Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, former CHP Member of Parliament Aykut Erdoğdu, İBB Presidential Advisor and MEDYA AŞ Board Chairman Murat Ongun, İBB Sports Club President Fatih Keleş, İmamoğlu's brother-in-law Cevat Kaya, and İmamoğlu's lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan.
THE HEARING WILL CONTINUE TOMORROW
Some of the defendants who are not in custody, including Ekrem İmamoğlu's son Mehmet Selim İmamoğlu, his father Hasan İmamoğlu, İBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, İBB Council Participation and Affiliated Institutions Commission Chairman Ertan Yıldız, singer Ercan Saatçi, and journalist Ruşen Çakır, also attended the hearing. The first day of the hearing was tense from start to finish. The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
İMAMOĞLU: YOU WILL ACCOUNT FOR THIS
Before being removed from the hall, the tension between Ekrem İmamoğlu and the court panel rose once again. İmamoğlu shouted at the court panel, "You can escape from here. You will account for this."
PROSECUTOR: EKREM İMAMOĞLU KNOW YOUR PLACE
The prosecutor responded to İmamoğlu, saying, "Ekrem İmamoğlu, know your place." İmamoğlu continued his words, stating, "This place is filled with my friends who are heroes for 86 million. If you have any courage, let these people go and fight me alone here. There is no such thing as justice in this way. It is a shame for this nation."
REQUEST FOR UP TO 2,000 YEARS IN PRISON FOR İMAMOĞLU
The investigation into the 'corruption' case against Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was suspended from his position as Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and arrested, has been completed, and an indictment of 3,809 pages was prepared on November 11, 2025. In the indictment, Ekrem İmamoğlu, referred to as the 'leader of the organization,' 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,' 'Seizing and Disseminating Personal Data,' 'Concealing Criminal Evidence,' 'Obstructing Communication,' 'Causing Damage to Public Property,' 'Receiving Bribes,' 'Publicly Disseminating Misleading Information,' 'Extortion,' 'Money Laundering of Assets Derived from Crime,' 'Interfering with Tenders,' 'Deliberately Polluting the Environment,' 'Violating the Tax Procedure Law,' 'Violating the Forestry 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.