Overview
- Crowds filled the area around Istanbul’s Saraçhane city hall, chanting for İmamoğlu’s release as his wife Dilek and CHP leader Özgür Özel addressed supporters under heavy police presence.
- The 4,000-page indictment lists more than 140 alleged offenses, including bribery, money laundering, embezzlement, and bid-rigging tied to municipal contracts.
- Investigators cite an estimated $3.8 billion in losses to the city, with more than 400 co-defendants charged and over 100 reportedly held in pretrial detention.
- İmamoğlu has been jailed in the Silivri high-security complex since March 2025 after his arrest and removal from office, one day after his university diploma was annulled.
- Early hearings featured tense courtroom scenes, and critics describe the case as politically driven and a test of the Turkish judiciary’s independence.