The 99th hearing is being held in the case filed against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) for corruption.
İmamoğlu made his defense in court yesterday after 19 months. İmmaoğlu's defense is expected to last 4 days.
At the hearing held by the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court in the hall opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Institution, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was suspended from his post as the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), continued his defense.
NEW INVESTIGATION ON İMAMOĞLU
An investigation was launched ex officio by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the crime of "public insult to public officials due to their duties" due to İmamoğlu's statements at the hearing, targeting the members of the judiciary who conducted the main investigation of the public case.
İMAMOĞLU CONTINUED HIS DEFENSE
İmamoğlu stated that he is not the one on trial today and said that what is on trial is the indictment.
In this file, the bank receipt, money print, instruction letter, voice recording, image and "I saw it with my own eyes." Claiming that there was no witness who said, İmamoğlu argued that it was written in the indictment that after the local elections held in 2019, the second aim was to seize the CHP, the political party to which he is a member, with the financial capital obtained from crime proceeds.
İmamoğlu said, "A member of a party wants to have a say in that party, wants to convince its delegates, and wants to win the congress. This is called politics all over the world, but it is written in this indictment as the purpose of the organization." he said.
In the indictment, "The leader of the organization designated Özgür Özel as the candidate opposite Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the CHP 38th Ordinary Congress held on 4-5 November 2023, and the delegates were enabled to vote in favor of Özgür Özel." Expressing his statements as follows, İmamoğlu said, "I am the chairman of the council of that congress with the advice of the current (absolute) leader, who was the chairman of that period. Özgür Özel is the group deputy chairman of this party, a member of parliament for many years. He is a person who has been a member of the party for almost twice the number of years I have spent in the party. I will determine him, and I will ensure that they vote in his favor. But everyone in Türkiye knows that I supported Özgür Özel at that time. This is an indictment based on these." he said.
The detained defendant İmamoğlu also made a statement regarding the allegations regarding the purchase of the CHP Istanbul Provincial Building.
İmamoğlu said, "In front of my eyes, the chairman of that period, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, was told how to take this place. The provincial president told me. He also knows everything. He makes excuses for everything. There is no sound about it. I demand that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu be called here as a witness regarding this article. It is a shame, as if that provincial building fell from the sky. I demand. I demand that he be heard as a witness. It's a shame. He can't say two words. What kind of job is this? he said.
Claiming that he was accused of spreading misleading information to the public and that information was not in the indictment, İmamoğlu stated the following:
"The indictment says, 'The leader of the organization nominated people affiliated with him in districts such as Şişli, Üsküdar, Beylikdüzü, Esenyurt, Eyüpsultan, Bakırköy, Sancaktepe, Kadıköy, Çekmeköy. He made the mayors of Büyükçekmece, Küçükçekmece and Tuzla subordinate to him.' Wow. It's such a shame, you know. Big people, names, people with lives, pasts, knowledge... Many of them have more political backgrounds than me. No documents, nothing. The Mayor of Büyükçekmece has been a municipal official for 45 years, I will make him subordinate to me. Küçükçekmece Mayor is a party manager for 40 years, he is a person who has been a manager in the party, I will make him subordinate to me. Suppose there is no such thing. What's the crime in this?"
Ekrem İmamoğlu asked which is a crime: wanting to be president, supporting a candidate at the congress, collecting donations for the party building, talking to journalists, reaching voters, nominating a candidate, and winning an election. Answering these questions with "none", İmamoğlu stated that the biggest word in the indictment is "criminal organization", the moment the word organization is mentioned, the door to arrest is opened, and this situation hurts the conscience.
İmamoğlu argued that the organizational structure of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality was portrayed as an organization and said, "Whoever is in the upper management has written the name of the organization to everyone. Meetings of managers with each other and talking on the phone are presented as the continuity relationship of the organization. What will the managers of an institution do if they do not talk to each other? The structure called a criminal organization is described in detail in the constitution and laws." he claimed.
The hearing was adjourned.
