Imamoğlu criticized the transfer of his colleagues from Silivri: What happens affects the nation and the state.
"I am addressing the judges, prosecutors, and institutions of our judiciary that have seemingly swallowed their tongues," said İmamoğlu, asking, "Can a handful of people corrupt the fair judicial environment in this country to such an extent?"
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) President Ekrem İmamoğlu reacted to the transfer of his colleagues from Marmara Prison in Silivri in a post shared on his official X account on Sunday and criticized the judiciary. "The search for slanderers, coercing false witnesses, fabricating secret witnesses, forcing people I know from my 23 years of work life to give statements under duress, the detention of journalists, dawn raids, seizures, trustees… When 'the big turnip' is not enough, the lie of 'the tail of the bull' etc. And now, according to the information I received at midnight, nearly 10 of my friends, who are in the same prison, are being transferred to other prisons in the early morning!" İmamoğlu expressed, adding, "What is this greed, this revenge, this deception, this enemy law? For God's sake, have they corrupted the institutions that are the apple of the country's eye to this extent!" İmamoğlu stated, "I am addressing the esteemed Turkish judiciary. Can a handful of people corrupt the fair judicial environment in this country to such an extent? I am addressing the judges, prosecutors, and institutions of our judiciary that have seemingly swallowed their tongues."
"Enough already, for God's sake, open your mouths and say something. What is happening is truly happening to the Nation and the State. Are you still not aware?" It has emerged that Murat Ongun, Hüseyin Köksal, Murat Kapki, Nihat Sütlaş, Adem Soytekin, Tuncay Yılmaz, Fatih Keleş, Necati Özkan, and Serdal Taşkın, who were detained as part of the investigation against IMM, would be transferred to neighboring provinces. Gökhan Günaydın, the Deputy Group Chair of the Republican People's Party (CHP), confirmed the transfer decision in a statement. Günaydın announced that Murat Ongun and Hüseyin Köksal would be sent to Çorlu Prison, Murat Kapki, Nihat Sütlaş, Adem Soytekin, and Tuncay Yılmaz to Tekirdağ Prison, and Fatih Keleş, Necati Özkan, and Serdal Taşkın to Kocaeli Prison.
What happened? On January 20, İmamoğlu was investigated for 'targeting individuals involved in the fight against threats and terrorism' while speaking at a panel titled "The Politicization of Modern Law and Justice" organized by the Country Policies Foundation. During this, İmamoğlu used the following words about Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek: "Look, Chief Prosecutor, I'm telling you. We will be of no use to you, your mind is rotten... We will uproot the mind that governs you from the minds of this nation to save even your children from these treatments. Don’t forget this. We will uproot it so that no one knocks on the door of your children and no one takes your children from their homes at the crack of dawn. We will uproot the paths and methods that run through your mentality from every environment of this country so that we can ensure peace for your home and your children's future. This is our concern." Just minutes after these words, an investigation was initiated against İmamoğlu during the panel.
On January 31, İmamoğlu gave a statement regarding the investigation, and the indictment was quickly prepared. In the indictment, Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek was listed as a 'victim.' A prison sentence ranging from two years and eight months to seven years and four months was sought for İBB President for 'publicly insulting a public official', 'threatening', and 'targeting individuals involved in the fight against terrorism.'
A political ban is also being sought. In the case, the prosecution is requesting the implementation of the first paragraph of Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code, which states, "As a legal consequence of being sentenced to imprisonment for a crime committed intentionally, the person shall be deprived of assuming a permanent, temporary, or continuous public duty; in this context, the person shall be deprived of being employed in all civil service and positions subject to appointment or election by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey or by institutions and organizations under the supervision and control of the state, province, municipality, or village." This also means a political ban.
Tender case. Following İmamoğlu's electoral victory in Istanbul in 2019, lawsuits and investigations against him had come one after another. In the lawsuits opened in the last five years, İBB President faced accusations including 'insulting a public official', 'manipulating tenders', and 'misusing his position.' Last Friday, İmamoğlu appeared before the judge in a tender case related to his time as the Mayor of Beylikdüzü, and the court was adjourned until June 16.
Detention process. İmamoğlu was taken into custody the day after his diploma from Istanbul University was canceled on March 18 and was later arrested on March 23 as part of a 'corruption' investigation. All this came after investigations opened against the İBB President in recent weeks and ahead of the CHP's primaries for presidential candidates. At the start of these investigations, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said, "They also know very well that the bigger turnips are still in the bag. This is the reason for their panic."
However, on the same day he was arrested, İmamoğlu was announced as the CHP's presidential candidate with nearly 15 million votes. Subsequently, he was removed from his position as IMM President by the Interior Ministry's decision. CHP City Council Member Nuri Aslan was elected as the IMM Vice President in İmamoğlu's place. The mass protests triggered by İmamoğlu's detention and subsequent arrest turned into the largest demonstrations seen in Turkey in over a decade. The police responded to the protests with tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons. Security forces have been intervening harshly against demonstrators in many major cities of the country, especially Istanbul.