Turkey: Prosecutor seeks 2,000-year prison term for jailed Istanbul mayor Imamoglu, Erdogan's key rival

A Turkish prosecutor has made an unusual demand of slapping a 2,000-year prison term for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been accused by President Tayyip Recep Erdogan of leading a corruption network that cost the state billions of lira.

Imamoglu, who is President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, has previously denied all the accusations against him, saying they are politically motivated, and his party on Tuesday rejected the new indictment as “nonsense”.

Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek has also urged a higher court to ban Imamoglu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP). Gurlek announced the indictment at a press conference, saying it names 402 suspects, including the mayor, and accuses them of forming a criminal organisation, bribery, fraud and bid-rigging.

The 4,000-page-long indictment has called the Istanbul mayor the brains behind a criminal group that carried out the scam that has cost the city $3.8 billion in losses, according to Reuters. 

It cites findings by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), expert analyses, and digital and video evidence, and alleges that several businesspeople were coerced into paying bribes through a secret fund operating within the municipality.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said the indictment showed the case against Imamoglu and their party was “totally political” and targeted the Istanbul mayor because he was their designated presidential candidate.

“This is not an indictment but a politically motivated memorandum from the coup plotters,” said Ozel, who has repeatedly branded the crackdown on the CHP as a “coup”.

Imamoglu’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In its notification to the Court of Cassation requesting that it consider closing the CHP, the prosecutor’s office alleged that the party was financed through illicit funds and that its transactions constituted “prohibited acts”.

Wolfango Piccoli, co-president at consultancy Teneo, said the indictment could have “far-reaching political and institutional implications”, including the possible appointment of a government trustee to run the Istanbul municipality.

“Such a move would effectively transfer control of Turkey’s largest and most economically significant city to the central government, depriving the opposition of its most important political patronage tool,” he said.

With inputs from agencies