Istanbul's ex-mayor to stand trial on corruption charges seeking 2,430 years

Published: 09 March 2026
The English Chronicle Desk
The English Chronicle Online

The former mayor of Istanbul appeared in court today at the opening of a mass corruption trial that has drawn international criticism, with prosecutors seeking a jail term of up to 2,430 years .

Ekrem Imamoglu, 55, faces more than 140 charges including corruption, bribery, embezzlement and running a criminal organisation, in a case that his Republican People’s Party (CHP) and rights groups say is politically motivated . He and 407 other defendants are accused of running a criminal corruption network headed by the opposition figure, whom prosecutors describe as its “founder and leader”.

Applause erupted as Imamoglu and scores of other defendants entered the packed courtroom at Silivri prison complex west of Istanbul, where he has been held since his arrest last March . Spectators shouted “We are proud of you!” according to journalists at the scene .

Imamoglu was arrested on 19 March 2025 – the day he was named as the CHP’s presidential candidate for the 2028 elections – and has remained in custody ever since . His detention triggered the largest street protests in Turkey for more than a decade, followed by hundreds of arrests and a police crackdown .

Prior to the trial, Imamoglu was widely seen as one of the few politicians capable of defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been at the top of Turkish politics since 2003 . He was first elected as Istanbul’s mayor in 2019 and was re-elected in April 2024, defeating the governing AK Party candidate by almost a million votes – a result described by political commentators as Erdogan’s “worst defeat ever” .

Imamoglu struck a defiant tone ahead of the trial, urging Erdogan to call elections immediately . He and his party deny any wrongdoing and accuse the president and his allies of launching a crackdown over the leader’s decline in popularity .

The trial has been strongly criticised by rights groups. “The trial of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu follows more than a year of weaponising the criminal justice system against his party and other CHP elected officials while he sits in jail,” said Benjamin Ward, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch .

Amnesty International called the charges “absurd”, with Dinushika Dissanayake, the organisation’s deputy director for Europe, stating: “This politically motivated prosecution, which is based almost entirely on secret witness testimony, is riddled with serious international fair trial and rule of law issues” . She added that the mass trial represents “the most extreme example of the disturbing weaponisation of Turkey’s justice system, whose independence has now been almost entirely hollowed out” .

Turkish authorities deny that the judiciary is being used as a political tool and insist it operates independently . Justice Minister Akin Gurlek, the former chief prosecutor who led the investigation into Imamoglu, told reporters on Friday: “I simply did my duty as a public prosecutor. My conscience is clear” .

Authorities have imposed a month-long ban on any demonstrations, marches, banners or speeches within a one-kilometre radius of the courthouse . They have also limited the number of journalists able to enter the hearing to 25, of which only five places have been allocated to the international media .

Despite the restrictions, supporters gathered at a distance waving images of Imamoglu and more than a dozen other CHP detained mayors . “President Imamoglu!” they chanted. “The day will come when the tables are turned and AKP will be held accountable,” they shouted, referring to Erdogan’s ruling party .

Since the CHP won a resounding victory in the March 2024 local elections against Erdogan’s ruling AKP, it has faced a sweeping legal crackdown . Fifteen of its mayors are now behind bars .

Prosecutors accuse Imamoglu of running a sprawling criminal network over which he exerted influence “like an octopus” . The indictment against him and the other defendants runs to nearly 4,000 pages .

At Monday’s hearing, a summary of the indictment was read out and the court was due to decide on the time frame for hearing the case and the order in which defendants will take the stand . CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and Imamoglu’s wife Dilek were present in court, although their request for the trial to be broadcast live was ignored .

Analysts say Imamoglu almost certainly will not be able to run in the next presidential race, expected before mid-2028 . Even if he were to be cleared of the graft charges, he faces an even more significant legal obstacle: a lawsuit challenging the validity of his university degree – a constitutional requirement for presidential candidates – which has since been annulled .

Should he be barred, political observers expect CHP leader Ozel to emerge as the likely candidate for the presidential race .

Imamoglu’s trial continues this week, with proceedings expected to last for an extended period given the number of defendants and the volume of evidence .

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