Ekrem İmamoğlu to Appear Before Judge in Three Separate Cases Today

The former mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, will appear before a judge today in three separate cases. İmamoğlu will be tried in the cases of Istanbul Municipality, espionage, and diploma. İmamoğlu was arrested on March 23, 2025, and removed from his position as the mayor of Istanbul by the Ministry of Interior. In the previous hearing of the Istanbul Municipality case, İmamoğlu reacted to the request for his defense, stating that being tried in multiple cases on the same day was inhumane. The court panel is waiting for the completion of the defendant's defenses on July 9. In the approximately 3,900-page indictment, İmamoğlu is accused of numerous crimes, including 'establishing and managing a criminal organization'. The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of 828 years to 2,352 years for İmamoğlu, who is accused of being responsible for 142 separate actions. İmamoğlu has described the case as 'political' in previous hearings and denied all the allegations against him. Last year, in July, Hüseyin Gün was arrested on charges of espionage, and it was alleged that he had engaged in espionage activities, conducted meetings via encrypted phones, and financed internal unrest in various countries. İmamoğlu has defended the case as political. As part of the case, journalist Merdan Yanardağ was arrested, and a trustee was appointed to his owner and general manager of TELE1. In the hearing on May 13, 2026, Ekrem İmamoğlu, Merdan Yanardağ, Necati Özkan, and Hüseyin Gün's espionage case, the court decided to continue the detention of all defendants. Detained defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu stated that Yanardağ and Özkan were intellectual and enlightened people and said, 'If you ask me what I have to say about the request to continue my detention, my answer is very simple. Release Necati Özkan and Merdan Yanardağ. This is my opinion and request regarding the continuation of my detention.'