20.03.2025 07:50
Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained as part of a terrorism and corruption investigation. Two separate investigations have been opened against İmamoğlu: one for "aiding a terrorist organization" in the "city consensus" investigation, and another for corruption allegations at "IBB Media Inc." in the organized crime investigation. TBB President Erinç Sağkan, who visited İmamoğlu while he was in custody, stated, "I just spoke with Mr. Ekrem. His morale is good and his health is fine."
As part of two separate investigations conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a detention order was issued for 106 people, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, and Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık. Within the scope of the investigation, Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained at his home yesterday morning on charges of aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization within the framework of "City Reconciliation" activities and allegations of corruption at IMM Media Inc. After the detention procedures, İmamoğlu was taken to the Istanbul Police Department Vatan Campus.
THE COMPANY WAS SEIZED
As part of the investigation, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office requested a decision from the peace criminal court to seize İmamoğlu Construction Trade and Industry Inc., in which Ekrem İmamoğlu is a partner, based on MASAK reports. Ali Nuhoğlu, the Chairman of the Board of Nuhoğlu Construction, who was also subject to a detention order, was detained after leaving with 40 million TL from his factory.
HE MADE HIS FIRST STATEMENT FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
Ekrem İmamoğlu announced that he had been detained during a broadcast from the dressing room of his home in the morning hours. In a video he recorded while changing his clothes with police waiting outside, İmamoğlu said: "Hundreds of police came to the door. I entrust myself to the nation. The police are coming to the house with a raid, knocking on the door. I entrust myself not to 16 million, but to 86 million and to those who perpetrate this oppression around the world. I trust my nation. This immorality, this tyrannical attitude and behavior will certainly be rejected by the will and resistance of our nation. I send my best feelings to the children, women, and all people of this country. I stand tall. No one should worry. I embrace you all. I love my nation very much. Let it not be forgotten that sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation. I want my entire nation to know that I will not give up, I will stand firm, and I will continue to fight."
THE FIRST FOOTAGE HAS ARRIVED
The first footage of Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was detained at the Istanbul Police Department, has arrived. It was seen that Ekrem İmamoğlu was walking with two police officers from the Financial Branch at the courthouse. İmamoğlu waved to a citizen who called out to him.
THERE IS NEWS FROM İMAMOĞLU
While İmamoğlu's procedures at the police station were ongoing, the President of the Turkish Bar Association, Erinç Sağkan, described his meeting with detained IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Erinç Sağkan, who stated that the Bar Association Presidents would come together to evaluate the situation and that he came to Istanbul for this purpose, announced that he also visited İmamoğlu during his visit. Sağkan said, "I just met with Mr. Ekrem. His statement has not yet been taken. I saw that his morale and health are good." Sağkan also mentioned that İmamoğlu repeated his statements of 'I entrust myself to my nation.'
HERE ARE THE 7 CHARGES AGAINST İMAMOĞLU AND THE SUSPECTS
- Being the leader of a criminal organization
- Being a member of a criminal organization
- Extortion
- Bribery
- Qualified fraud
- Illegally obtaining personal data
- Interfering with a tender
CHIEF PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE: LEADER OF A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION
The charges against İmamoğlu and 105 individuals were detailed one by one in a written statement from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. It was stated that witnesses who provided statements regarding the 'money counting' footage in the CHP claimed that "IMM President İmamoğlu and many others forced businessmen to give money, that they gained unfair profits by acting with some businessmen, and that they laundered the money obtained from the crime by using civilian individuals referred to as 'secret cash' in the transfer and collection of money." The statement also expressed that "the investigation was initiated as a result of a report prepared by the Ministry of Interior Inspectors regarding irregularities in tenders, service procurements, and collusive contracts related to outdoor advertising media conducted by IMM and its subsidiaries."
ACTING AS A TEAM
The statement noted that İmamoğlu was the leader of the criminal organization, and that individuals who had been with him since his tenure as the Mayor of Beylikdüzü were appointed to the heads of the units and subsidiaries of the Metropolitan Municipality after he became the IMM President. It was alleged that the suspects, who created their own infrastructures to ensure the continuation of the criminal organization, committed the crimes of "Interfering with a tender," "Qualified fraud," "Illegally obtaining personal data," "Bribery," and "Extortion" in an organized manner through irregular tenders in many municipal subsidiaries.
MEDIA INC. AND CULTURE INC.
In the prosecutor's statement, it was stated that "the organization members, through companies established in their own names and those of their SGK employees, submitted high-priced offers for the qualified jobs of the Metropolitan Municipality subsidiaries, Media Inc. and Culture Inc., thereby obtaining jobs at prices far above their actual values, many of which they did not complete, and some of which were fictitious, and that they laundered the money obtained through the issuance of fake invoices, which was used for personal enrichment as well as for the activities of the criminal organization."
MONEY TO THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
It was alleged that the organization members who won tenders from Media Inc., Culture Inc., KİPTAŞ, and ISFALT transferred money to İmamoğlu's construction projects or made material transfers to their companies with the first advance payments they received from the municipality.
In summary, the statement said: "It has been understood that money obtained through threats was subsequently paid, that bribes were demanded from many active businesses, and that those who did not accept were forcibly extorted money through decisions taken from municipal councils. It has been determined through MASAK reports, tax expert examinations, witness statements, and other evidence that the properties obtained through the crimes of 'Bribery' and 'Extortion' were registered in the names of businessmen used as the organization's cash box. In this context, simultaneous capture, detention, search, and seizure operations have been ordered by the Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Investigation Branch against the suspect Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been identified as the leader of the criminal organization, and the suspects in managerial positions, Murat Ongun, Tuncay Yılmaz, Fatih Keleş, Ertan Yıldız, and 100 other suspects connected to these individuals for the crimes of 'Being the leader of a criminal organization,' 'Being a member of a criminal organization,' 'Extortion,' 'Bribery,' 'Qualified fraud,' 'Illegally obtaining personal data,' and 'Interfering with a tender.'
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2. INVESTIGATION: 'CITY CONSENSUS' AND AID TO TERRORISM
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated in its announcement regarding the other investigation that it has been determined that İBB President Ekrem İmamoğlu has formed an alliance with the terrorist organization's umbrella structure, the Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK), based on the "City Consensus" for the local elections, and that this was announced by media affiliated with the terrorist organization. It was explained that investigations against HDK members are still ongoing in many provinces, especially in Istanbul. According to the information and documents obtained within the scope of the investigation, it was stated that İmamoğlu, İBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, Reform Institute President Mehmet Ali Çalışkan, fugitive suspect A. B., who is said to have been active in the ideological field organization of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization, and H. A., who has been identified regarding the transfer of personnel to the terrorist organization's rural area in 2018, along with Şişli Deputy Mayor Ebru Özdemir, participated in the "City Consensus" in collaboration.
TO THE ASSEMBLY LISTS
The statement continued as follows: "Considering that suspect Ekrem İmamoğlu, along with other suspects, has determined the lists of municipal council members with his approval in the local elections, it is understood that they have committed the crime of aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization by knowingly participating in the 'City Consensus' activity, which aims to increase the effectiveness of the terrorist organization in the metropolises, as expressed by the management of the terrorist organization. A simultaneous arrest, detention, search, and seizure operation has been ordered by the Istanbul Police Department's Counter-Terrorism Branch for the aforementioned 7 suspects."
WHO IS IN THE FILE
The names for whom a detention order has been issued within the scope of the "criminal organization" investigation are as follows:
1- Ekrem İmamoğlu,
2- Murat Ongun,
3- Murat Çalık,
4- Tuncay Yılmaz,
5- Fatih Keleş,
6- Emrah Bağdatlı,
7- Mustafa Nihat Sütlaş,
8- Murat Kapki,
9- Orçun Muhittin Yılmaz
10- Hüseyin Köksal,
11- Adem Soytekin,
12- Ali Nuhoğlu,
13- Ertan Yıldız,
14- Ali Gül,
15- Zafer Gül,
16- Serdal Taşkın,
17- Barış Kılıç,
18- Servet Yıldırım,
19- Mehmet Erdoğan,
20- Güldem Işık,
21- Ceyda Kıryak,
22- Kadir Öztürk,
23- Ömür Yılmaz,
24- Merthan Açıl,
25- Tolga Özgen,
26- Erhan Uslu,
27- Hakan Atınç Dayıgil,
28- Murat Kanbur,
29- Emre Serkan Bayraktar,
30- Vahit Doğan,
31- Fatoş Ayık,
32- Hüseyin Ekrem Fidan,
33- Seda Hoşel Kiraz,
34- Sergen Kurt,
35- Yusuf Yüce,
36- Ercan Saatçi,
37- Mehmet Muhittin Palazoğlu,
38- Furkan Remzi Ceylan,
39- Süleyman Atik,
40- Hakan Karanis,
41- Elif Güven,
42- Nihat Uçan,
43- Birsen Şahin,
44- Canan Mümüklü,
45- Can Akın Çağlar,
46- Cemal Ufuk Karakaya
47- Buğra Gökçe,
48- Kağan Sürmegöz,
49- Bayram Taşkın,
50- Ebru Yılmazlar,
51- Gürkan Akgün,
52- Murat Abbas,
53- Doğan Hamit Doğruer,
54- Halit Burak Atalan,
55- Bilal Önver,
56- İlker Durademir,
57- İpek Elif Atayman,
58- İlknur Taşdelen,
59- Burak Arslan,
60- Samih Asan
61- Emrah Öksüz,
62- Onur Buğra Subaşı,
63- Eyüp Subaşı,
64- Gülşah Subaşı,
65- Ahmet Köksal,
66- Serhat Kapki,
67- Yusuf İlbak,
68- Ali İlbak,
69- Murat İlbak,
70- Mustafa İlbak,
71- Umut Şenol,
72- Mete Sarısaltun,
73- Edip Cenk Ünalerzen,
74- İrfan Karakaş,
75- İnan Boztaş,
76- Ahmet Taha Bilgin,
77- Kamil Timur Delibaş,
78- Alihan Aydın,
79- Alper Aydın
80- Alperen Aydın,
81- Ahmet Palazoğlu,
82- Kaan Ketenci,
83- Ahmet Hamdi Çiçek,
84- Hacı Ahmet Gül,
85- Serkan Öztürk,
86- Necati Özkan,
87- Kabil Taşçı,
88- Vedat Şahin,
89- Serdar Haydanlı,
90- Yaşar Çeri,
91- Emin Ferhat Ertek,
92- Harun Cengiz Beğenmez,
93- Hasan Öçsoy
94- Ahmet Çiçek,
95- Adem Tuncay,
96- Rauf Cem Istıranca,
97- Ömer Gürsoy,
98- Uğurhan Atma,
99- Özge Bağdatlı,
100- Fatoş Pınar Türker
CITY CONSENSUS
Those for whom a detention order has been issued within the scope of the 'City Consensus' investigation are as follows:
1- Ekrem İmamoğlu,
2- Mahir Polat,
3- Resul Ekrem Şahan,
4- Mehmet Ali Çalışkan,
5- Ebru Özdemir,
6- Spectrum House owner Azad Barış,
7- Spectrum House employee Hunav Altun.
87 PEOPLE IN CUSTODY
It was announced that 87 people have been detained in both investigations. Arrest warrants have been issued for the remaining individuals. In the following hours, Serdar Haydanlı was released.
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