<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/09/istanbul-mayor-ekrem-imamoglu-trial-corruption-turkey>
"A mass trial of 400 people including the jailed mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem
İmamoğlu, has opened in Turkey in a sprawling corruption case critics say is a
politically motivated attempt to thwart his chances of challenging Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan for the presidency.
İmamoğlu entered the courtroom in Istanbul to cheers and whistles from members
of his opposition Republican People’s party (CHP), and there were reports that
a group of lawyers chanted: “We want a fair trial.”
The first hearing was marked by a heated exchange between the judge and the
jailed mayor, after other defendants were chosen to speak first. İmamoğlu
repeatedly demanded to address the court but the judge refused, calling his
request inappropriate.
“You cannot simply get up and come to the podium to request to speak,” the
judge reportedly said. The 55-year-old mayor responded that the court should
“respect the right of people to defend themselves”.
Hundreds of former and current employees of the Istanbul municipality are due
to stand trial alongside İmamoğlu over the coming weeks as the trial continues,
including more than 106 people already in jail. All stand accused of
involvement in an alleged network of corruption and organised crime centred on
İmamoğlu’s office.
İmamoğlu, the mayor of Turkey’s largest city, was arrested last year during a
raid on his home, shortly after announcing his intention to run for president
on behalf of the country’s largest opposition party, the CHP."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
