Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has been arrested as part of a corruption investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB), while a separate terrorism-related probe led to his release on those charges, local media reported on Sunday.
İmamoğlu appeared before a criminal court of peace and was formally detained over allegations of corruption. Simultaneously, he was cleared of terrorism-related accusations in another investigation.
More arrests in widening probe
The court also ordered the arrest of Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, İBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, and Reform Institute Director Mehmet Ali Çalışkan in connection with the terrorism investigation.
In a broader corruption inquiry, 48 out of 89 suspects were arrested, while 41 were placed under judicial control. Charges include “forming and leading a criminal organization,” “rigging tenders,” “accepting bribes,” “extortion,” and “unauthorized access to personal data.”
Among those detained is Murat Ongun, İmamoğlu’s media advisor and chair of İBB Media AŞ.
The court ruled to detain İmamoğlu and Beylikdüzü Mayor Murat Çalık, while judicial control measures were imposed on 41 suspects. Prosecutors are reportedly planning to appeal some of the release decisions.
İmamoğlu denies terrorism allegations
Details of İmamoğlu’s testimony in the terrorism investigation have emerged. In a statement to the Terror Crimes Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, he denied using the term “Urban Consensus,” a concept allegedly linked to facilitating the infiltration of PKK/KCK-linked individuals into municipal decision-making processes.
“I never used the term ‘Urban Consensus’ and had no role in such a process,” İmamoğlu said, rejecting accusations that he enabled the involvement of individuals with terrorism records in municipal affairs.
He further argued that the nomination of municipal council members is the responsibility of the central leadership of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), not the mayor’s office.
As the investigation unfolds, the prosecutor’s office is expected to file objections to certain judicial decisions. The political landscape remains tense as İmamoğlu’s arrest adds to the already heated atmosphere ahead of upcoming elections.
