Mayor Acrem Imamoglu of Istanbul was arrested on 23 March on charges of corruption. According to Turki’s official news agency Anadolu, there are serious allegations like taking bribe, corruption, stealing private data and disturbing tenders.
Imamoglu was kept in police custody since Wednesday, where he was questioned in two cases related to terrorism and corruption. On Saturday evening, he was taken to court with heavy police security. He called all the allegations against him wrong.
According to reports, he was accused of helping the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the case of terrorism, which the Turkas, the European Union and the US consider terrorist organizations. In this case, he was released under judicial control. Imamoglu became the mayor of Istanbul for the second time after defeating the ruling party candidate in the local election of 2024. He was preparing to become a candidate from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for the 2028 presidential election. Voting for this was also to be held in the party on Sunday.
President Tayyip Erdogan attacked the CHP on Saturday and said that this party has become a means of saving corrupt people. He also alleged that the opposition is trying to spread unrest in the country. On the other hand, opposition leaders believe that Imamoglu’s arrest is inspired by politics. However, the Ministry of Justice dismissed these claims and said that this decision is completely legal and Erdogan has no hand in it.
After this arrest, thousands of people took to the streets in Turki and started demonstrations. In Istanbul, the authorities banned all the meetings for four days, which were later increased to Ankara and Izamir. People are considering it a chance to raise their voice against the government. This matter can create a big uproar in Turkish politics, because Imamoglu is considered a strong face of the opposition.
