The 98th hearing of the 'İmamoğlu criminal organization for profit' case has ended: Ekrem İmamoğlu's defense is postponed until tomorrow

Making his defense at the hearing held by the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court in the hall opposite the Marmara Closed Penal Institution, the defendant İmamoğlu thanked his wife Dilek İmamoğlu and the lawyers and stated that he had a very difficult time in prison.

Defendant İmamoğlu, who said that there was no ordinary interrogation in this room today and that he had been waiting for this interrogation for months, made the following statement: "I waited the most. I wanted it to be the first. Then, if it was to be the last, I wanted it to be the last. Then, of course, the process did not progress as we wanted. I would like to explain a little why he waited. This story actually shows what kind of process and environment this case was progressing in. When it was my turn to interrogate on July 7, the interrogations of my friends were cut off before me. The interrogations of the lawyers were cut off. The interrogations of the defense lawyers were cut off. "Their statements were restricted. Then, when it was my turn, I expressed my objections, they were tried to prevent me from being interrogated, and I was not allowed to have an interrogation with false statements. As a matter of fact, when the audio recordings were transcribed, the truth came out."

Defendant İmamoğlu argued that the report stating "I will not defend myself" was completely untrue.

İmamoğlu, who said that he joined politics at the age of 38 and gave his struggle and effort within the political party at the highest level, explained that he attaches the highest value to respecting and contributing to the institutionality of doing politics within the party.

Stating that he spent more time on politics than his business life, İmamoğlu said that he was later elected to public office and became first the Mayor of Beylikdüzü and then the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

In his defense, the defendant İmamoğlu also touched upon the cases in which he was tried and argued that he did not show favoritism, did not create opportunities for his wife or friends, and kept the control at the highest level.

The hearing was postponed until tomorrow to continue taking the defense of the defendant İmamoğlu.