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An Istanbul court has accepted an indictment seeking prison sentences of 15 to 20 years for former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and three other defendants on charges of political espionage.
The 25th High Criminal Court of Istanbul completed its review of the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against Imamoglu, Necati Ozkan, Huseyin Gun and Merdan Yanardag.
Imamoglu was previously suspended from his post as Istanbul mayor following his arrest in a separate case referred to as the “Imamoglu criminal organization” investigation.
The indictment accuses the four defendants of “political or military espionage” and seeks prison terms ranging from 15 to 20 years.
The court said there is a strong suspicion of a crime supported by concrete evidence related to political or military espionage. It also cited the nature and qualification of the alleged offense, the fact that the defendants’ statements have not yet been taken, and that evidence collection has not been completed.
For these reasons, the court ruled that Imamoglu, Ozkan, Yanardag, and Gun will remain in detention.
The indictment alleges that Imamoglu engaged in activities aimed at “manipulating” the 2019 local elections.
The first hearing in the case will be held on May 11 at 10 a.m. at the courtroom located within the Marmara Prison campus in Silivri.
The court also ordered that official correspondence be sent to the Bakirkoy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Silivri District Gendarmerie Command to ensure the hearing can be held at the specified location and that necessary security measures are taken.
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