This time he is accused of being a spy: What are the cases and investigations opened against İmamoğlu so far?
Ekrem İmamoğlu, imprisoned in Marmara Prison in Silivri, has faced seven separate cases since his 2019 election victory. Five more investigations are ongoing against him. The charges include insulting a public official, bid rigging, abuse of power, establishing a criminal organization, and now espionage. Here are the investigations and cases filed against İmamoğlu to date.
İmamoğlu had said in a statement on November 4, 2019, "Those who annulled the March 31st elections are fools." YSK members filed a criminal complaint. On December 14, 2022, the Istanbul Anatolian 7th Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced İmamoğlu to 2 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison and a political ban. The prosecutor's office filed an appeal, claiming the decision was procedurally and legally unlawful. İmamoğlu's lawyers also objected to the decision.
The appeals court upheld İmamoğlu's sentence on September 19. With the appeals decision upheld, the case will now be sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals. If the Court upholds the decision, İmamoğlu's political ban will become final .
In November 2024, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into alleged irregular use of public resources in artistic events organized by the Istanbul and Ankara Metropolitan Municipalities. The investigation, conducted in coordination with Interior Ministry inspectors, resulted in charges of "abuse of office" against İmamoğlu.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor İmamoğlu described this process as "judicial harassment." The investigation has reportedly been expanded to include the Beykoz Municipality, along with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. A potential indictment could see İmamoğlu prosecuted on charges of "abuse of office."
An investigation was launched against İmamoğlu on charges of "tender rigging" related to a tender held in 2015, when he was mayor of Beylikdüzü. Following an investigation by Ministry of Interior inspectors, the Council of State ruled that İmamoğlu had not committed any irregularities during this process.
However, following a complaint from the Ministry of Interior, the prosecutor's office launched a new investigation in 2023 and filed a lawsuit against İmamoğlu. In the case heard at the Büyükçekmece 10th Criminal Court of First Instance, the prosecutor's office requested a prison sentence of three to seven years and a political ban for İmamoğlu. At the tenth hearing, held on July 11, 2025, the court adjourned the case until October 24, 2025.
İmamoğlu was acquitted of the charges at the hearing on October 24.
İmamoğlu made certain remarks about Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek in a speech on January 20, 2025. Following these remarks, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment against İmamoğlu on the same day, charging him with "threat" and "targeting a person involved in the fight against terrorism."
The indictment, in which the prosecutor's office sought a prison sentence of up to 7 years and 4 months and a political ban against İmamoğlu, was accepted by the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court. The third and final hearing of the case was held on July 16, 2025. The court sentenced İmamoğlu to 1 year, 5 months, and 15 days for "insulting a public official" and 2 months and 15 days for "threats." He was unanimously acquitted of the charge of "targeting individuals fighting against terrorism."
İmamoğlu's statements about expert witness SB on January 27, 2025, escalated into an investigation before he even finished speaking. The investigation, launched under Articles 277 and 288 of the Turkish Penal Code, is ongoing, under the charge of "attempting to influence a judicial officer."
If this investigation turns into a lawsuit, İmamoğlu could face both a prison sentence and a political ban in the event of a possible conviction.
The trial began on June 12. İmamoğlu and his lawyers did not attend the hearing in protest of the trial being changed 24 hours beforehand, and the hearing was postponed until September 26.
The court announced its interim decision on September 26. It was decided that the decision would be evaluated if the defendant's defense attorney, Mehmet Pehlivan, requested to join the case within the scope of the case, and that the request to hear expert witness SB be rejected.
The committee decided to write a warrant to the Istanbul 54th Criminal Court of First Instance and hold the hearing in the hearing room No. 2 of the Marmara Open Prison Campus.
The hearing was adjourned to December 12 at 10:00.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's university degree on February 22. İmamoğlu was summoned to testify on February 26 on charges of "forgery of official documents."
Discussions surrounding Ekrem İmamoğlu's diploma began in September 2024. Veryansın TV Editor-in-Chief Erdem Atay suggested that there might be some questionable circumstances surrounding İmamoğlu's transfer from Cyprus to Istanbul University. Atay claimed, "İmamoğlu likely studied at Girne American University in Cyprus. His major was engineering. He then transferred to Istanbul University for business administration. Girne American University was not approved by the Council of Higher Education at the time."
Following the allegations, both the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Murat Ongun shared İmamoğlu's university diploma on social media.
The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office states that an application was made to CİMER on September 18, 2024, alleging that İmamoğlu's diploma was fake, and a complaint petition was submitted to the prosecutor's office on October 1.
The indictment states that the University College of Northern Cyprus (UCNC), where İmamoğlu studied in Cyprus, was not one of the universities recognized by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in 1990. YÖK's documents from 1988 and 1992 state that only Eastern Mediterranean University was recognized among institutions operating in the TRNC.
The indictment alleges that horizontal transfer quotas were increased irregularly, some students were deleted from the list and new students were added, and 54 people were accepted into the 3-person quota.
It is stated that İmamoğlu is recorded in the student registry as a student of Eastern Mediterranean University, even though he is actually registered at the University College of Northern Cyprus.
The prosecutor's office is seeking a prison sentence of between 2 years and 6 months and 8 years and 9 months for İmamoğlu on the charge of "successive forgery of official documents." They also request that, if convicted, he be deprived of certain rights under Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code.
The indictment also demands the confiscation of İmamoğlu's allegedly forged documents, in accordance with Article 54 of the Turkish Penal Code.
The hearing was adjourned to December 8, 2025.
TELE1 Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardağ was detained at his home this morning. Police searched Yanardağ's home and his room on the channel. The operation was announced live on TELE1's program "Sabah Pusulası." Presenter Gökhan Kayış said, "TEM teams arrived at our channel in the early hours of this morning. The building is currently being searched."
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced the launch of an espionage investigation. The prosecutor's office announced the operation under the title "Press Note - Operation 1." The statement alleged that "election manipulation was carried out in collaboration with foreign intelligence services and that the crime of espionage was committed" during the 2019 elections.
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office described the political activities of the imprisoned Ekrem İmamoğlu as the "Ekrem İmamoğlu criminal organization." İmamoğlu and his advisor Necati Özkan, arrested in the March 19 operation, were asked to be present in Çağlayan for their testimony on espionage charges. Warrants were issued for İmamoğlu and Özkan.
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office claimed that the organization's aim was "to generate funds for the presidential candidacy of organization leader Ekrem İmamoğlu by gaining financial benefit."
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced a second operation titled "Press Note - Operation 2." Fifteen people were detained in this operation, which covered the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's "Istanbul is Yours" and "IBB House" digital applications. The operation was carried out at 6:00 a.m. with simultaneous arrests, detentions, searches, and seizures.
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that the personal data and location information of 4.7 million users were leaked to two different foreign countries through the "Istanbul is Yours" app. It was also alleged that the personal data and location information of 3.7 million users were offered for sale on the "dark web." It was also stated that ballot box data of 11 million citizens was processed and leaked outside the program through the "IBB Hanem" sub-app.
The case against Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) and CHP presidential candidate, who is currently incarcerated in Marmara Prison in Silivri, for "insulting prosecutors" has been dismissed. The Istanbul 27th Criminal Court of First Instance dismissed the case, which was being tried for "insulting a public official due to their duty," because the defendant made a down payment.
İmamoğlu had made the following remarks to the prosecutors who had led him to arrest during his interrogation:
The two prosecutors who orchestrated the conspiracy and ambush are all trash to me. Those who wrote all of this for me and exposed their membership in a terrorist organization have lost their professional honor and professional dishonesty. I believe these individuals not only possess the skill to write this, but also likely have experience with terrorist organizations that have plagued or will continue to plague our country. Because I believe this type of ambush and conspiracy can be accomplished through membership in a terrorist organization. These actions and practices are a bombshell dropped on our country's justice system, and their damage will be immense. I call on the noble Turkish judiciary and tens of thousands of honorable judges and prosecutors to not allow these people, who have lost their professional honor and professional ethics, to enter the realm of corruption. These dishonorable individuals are treasonous against our nation and our homeland by going beyond the rights of others during the month of Ramadan.
Following these remarks, a public lawsuit was filed against İmamoğlu, charging him with "publicly insulting a public official due to their duty." The Istanbul 27th Criminal Court of First Instance held an ex officio hearing "to prevent the matter from dragging on" due to İmamoğlu's advance payment.
During the hearing, the prosecutor's office presented its opinion on the merits, requesting that İmamoğlu be punished for the crimes attributed to him, on the grounds that he "made public statements against Public Prosecutors that exceeded freedom of expression, freedom of thought, and the right to defense, and that would offend their honor, dignity, and respect."
The judge ruled that, “Although a public lawsuit was filed against the defendant Ekrem İmamoğlu for the crime of ‘publicly insulting a public official due to his duty,’ the crime attributed to the defendant was understood to fall within the scope of prepayment, and a prepayment warning was issued to the defendant. Furthermore, it was understood that the defendant deposited the amount stated in the prepayment warning issued by our court to the treasury on time, and therefore, the public lawsuit filed against him was dropped due to the prepayment.”
Medyascope
