The detention of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, continues for the second day as part of the investigation initiated by the public prosecutor’s office, in which the arrest of more than a hundred people has been ordered for serious crimes of corruption and dealings with members of the terrorist group PKK. While the Turkish press reports that İmamoğlu is probably the last to be interrogated before the judge decides whether to send him to prison, a scandal has hit all the news programmes after one million euros in cash was discovered in the home of a well-known businessman closely linked to İmamoğlu, whose construction company has also been confiscated by the authorities.
Numerous Turkish media outlets have in the last few hours broadcast the images obtained during the search of the home of construction businessman Ali Nuhoğlu, one of those arrested yesterday in the large-scale operation that led to the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul. During the search of Nuhoğlu’s home, the police allegedly discovered exorbitant amounts of cash, totalling some 40 million liras, equivalent to one million euros. Nuhoğlu, who was detained in his office, had already been implicated in a controversial operation in which he sold three luxury villas to İmamoğlu for well below their market price (15 million liras, compared to an estimated cost of 50 million), and according to the Turkish press he was planning to leave the country with the money before he was detained.
The investigation launched by the public prosecutor’s office covers a wide range of offences including, among others, membership of a criminal organisation, bribery, extortion, aggravated fraud, theft of personal data, obtaining illegal money and manipulation of public contracts, among other serious charges. But in addition to these charges, İmamoğlu and other key figures such as the deputy secretary general of the Istanbul Municipality, Mahir Polat, and the mayor of the Şişli district, Resul Emrah Şahan, are also accused in another parallel investigation of collaborating and dealing with members of the PKK/KCK terrorist organisation.
Investigators have also revealed that Emrah Bağdatlı, advisor to the president of the İBB Medya company – linked to the Istanbul Municipality – Murat Ongun (also detained and close aide to İmamoğlu), fled Turkey two weeks ago fearing arrest. Police discovered that Bağdatlı tried to deceive them by buying a plane ticket to Houston (USA); but instead, the suspect – now wanted by Turkish authorities – left his phone at home to avoid being tracked and fled Turkey on 5 March via the İpsala border crossing, on the border with Greece.
After 4 days in custody, a judge will decide whether the mayor of Istanbul is imprisoned
For now, police have detained 83 people as part of the investigation into corruption in Istanbul, while another 10 suspects who are the subject of detention warrants from the prosecutor’s office are wanted and being sought, 7 of whom have probably left the country. In total, 87 of the 106 individuals against whom detention warrants have been issued have been detained as part of the two investigations into corruption and links to terrorism, including the mayor of Istanbul himself.
The questioning process will continue over the next few days at Istanbul police headquarters, where İmamoğlu remains in custody, before the judge decides whether to send the detainees to prison or release them. Turkish law allows for the period of detention to be extended up to 4 days, before a decision is made as to whether the person in custody is to be released or formally charged.
In a letter posted on social media yesterday, the mayor of Istanbul claimed that citizens would respond to the ‘lies, plots and traps’ against him. Meanwhile, the authorities have also seized the construction company of which İmamoğlu is co-owner, founded by his father, and whose control has been taken over by a court based on evidence of financial crimes presented during the investigation.
Meanwhile, in the last few hours, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced the arrest of 37 people for making provocative comments on social networks inciting violence and committing crimes following the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, after the CHP party itself – to which İmamoğlu belongs – described the arrests as a ‘coup’. According to the minister, in less than 24 hours since İmamoğlu’s arrest, 18.6 million messages related to the news were posted on the social network X alone, becoming a trending topic on the well-known platform.
İmamoğlu could lose the mayoralty and his chances of becoming President of Turkey
If the reports are confirmed, it is likely that the interrogation of the mayor of Istanbul will last until Saturday or even Sunday, complicating his chances of even attending the primary elections that his party is holding on 23 March to choose its candidate for the Presidency of Turkey, and in which İmamoğlu was in fact the only candidate.
However, his detention and probable imprisonment – given the seriousness of the crimes of which he is accused – together with the decision of the University of Istanbul to withdraw his university degree obtained illegally (the Constitution requires that every candidate to President of the Republic must have a university degree), complicate – very – the political future of Ekrem İmamoğlu, who could even lose his mayoralty.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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