First hearing in IMM case begins: 17 different charges against İmamoğlu

The first hearing of the case, opened in accordance with the approximately 3,900-page indictment prepared as part of the corruption investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on March 19, 2025, will be held on Monday in Silivri.

A total of 402 defendants, 106 of whom are in custody, including CHP's imprisoned presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, will be tried.

The trial will be conducted by the 1st Panel of the Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court in the courtrooms located at the Marmara Open Penal Institution campus in Silivri. The hearings are planned to be held four days a week—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday—until the end of April.

HOW WILL THE HEARING PROCESS WORK?

In the first session of the trial, it is expected that the identities of the defendants will be verified and a summary of the indictment will be read. Following this, the defense statements of the defendants will begin.

Entry cards will be issued by officials for the defendants, witnesses, complainants, lawyers, members of the press, and spectators who will attend the hearings, which are scheduled to start at 10:00 AM.

Defendants, lawyers, and complainants will be admitted to the courtroom first. Subsequently, members of the press and spectators will be allowed to enter the hall.

PREPARATORY LETTERS SENT TO INSTITUTIONS

The court panel sent letters to the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the Marmara Open Penal Institution, the Silivri District Police Department, and the Silivri District Gendarmerie Command on March 4 to ensure the necessary organization before the hearing.

CHARGES IN THE INDICTMENT

In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the Presidency of the Civil Service Inspection Board is listed as the "informant," while the Ministries of Treasury and Finance, Interior, Energy and Natural Resources, and Agriculture and Forestry, as well as the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and the Şişli Municipality are listed as "parties harmed by the crime."

While it is stated that a total of 407 defendants, 105 of whom are in custody, will be tried in the file, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been suspended from his duties at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, is also among the defendants.

CHARGES AGAINST İMAMOĞLU

In the indictment, İmamoğlu is defined as the "founder and leader of the organization." A prison sentence ranging from 828 years and 2 months to 2,352 years is being sought for İmamoğlu.

The charges directed at İmamoğlu are listed as follows:

• Establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime
• Bribery (12 counts)
• Money laundering (7 counts)
• Fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations (7 counts)
• Recording personal data (2 counts)
• Seizing and disseminating personal data (2 counts)
• Concealing evidence of a crime (2 counts)
• Obstruction of communication
• Damaging public property
• Accepting bribes (47 counts)
• Publicly disseminating misleading information
• Extortion (9 counts)
• Rigging bids (70 counts)
• Intentional pollution of the environment
• Opposition to the Tax Procedure Law
• Opposition to the Forestry Law
• Opposition to the Mining Law

"OCTOPUS ARMS" PHRASE IN THE INDICTMENT

In the indictment, it was emphasized in four different places that the organization's activities spread to various points in Istanbul "like the arms of an octopus."

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first used the "octopus arms" analogy regarding the operations against Ekrem İmamoğlu on May 25, 2025. It was noted that this phrase was also included in the indictment.

The Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court did not grant release for the 106 detained defendants during the detention reviews.

NEW COURTROOM NOT COMPLETED

Due to the high number of defendants in the case, the construction of a new courtroom was started at the Marmara Closed Prison campus in Silivri. It is stated that the cost of the hall, which is being built in a section of the prison parking lot, will reach approximately 1 billion liras.

However, since the construction is not yet complete, the first hearings will be held in the existing halls. In its letter dated March 2, the court announced that the trial would be held in Courtroom No. 1 at the Marmara Open Penal Institution campus.

Card-based entry will be applied to the hearing

The court announced that entries to the courtroom will be made via a card system. Separate entry cards will be prepared for defendants, lawyers, witnesses, members of the press, and officials.

It was stated that detained and non-detained defendants and their lawyers would be given priority for admission to the hall.

Accreditation and security assessment requirements were introduced for members of the press. Accordingly, a maximum of 5 foreign press members will be admitted to the hall. It was reported that a total of 20 journalists from national press organizations would be accepted, with only one person from each press group.

If there is no space left in the hall, a separate area will be created where other press representatives can watch the hearing via screens.

RESTRICTIONS ON LAWYERS AND RELATIVES

The court announced that each defendant could be represented by a maximum of three lawyers. It was stated that if the section allocated for lawyers remains insufficient, a portion of the area reserved for spectators could be allocated to the defense counsel.

It was stated that after the defendants, lawyers, members of the press, and officials are admitted to the hall, priority will be given to the first-degree relatives of the defendants, as far as physical facilities allow.

RECORDING BAN AND SECURITY MEASURES

Recalling Article 183 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Article 286 of the Turkish Penal Code, it was emphasized that the use of audio and video recording devices during the hearing is prohibited. It was stated that legal action would be taken against those who do not comply with this rule.

Doctors and medical personnel will be kept ready in the hall for possible health situations during the hearing. It was reported that the detained defendants would be brought to the hall before the hearing time and that security measures would be provided by the relevant law enforcement units.

The court's instruction letter was sent to the relevant institutions, primarily the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, as well as the Silivri District Police Department and the Silivri District Gendarmerie Command.

FINAL DECISION ON HEARING ORDER

The Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court issued another memorandum regarding the trial order before the hearing.

According to the court letter, those arriving at the prison campus will be admitted to the courtroom in the order determined as follows: detained defendants, non-detained defendants, defense counsel, complainants, complainant attorneys, relatives of detained defendants, members of the press, and representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations.

News Source: 12punto