No verdict for 2.5 years! 'Ahmak' file on the shelf, murder case on the table

In Turkey, which is at the center of debates regarding judicial independence and impartiality, the fact that Ekrem İmamoğlu's file has been waiting in the appellate court for years while the Sinan Ateş file was concluded at jet speed has sparked reactions.

Attorney Dr. Mehmet Ruşen Gültekin drew attention to this contradiction in a post on his social media account.

Criticizing the situation with the words "The judiciary hasn't become politicized, sure...", Gültekin reminded that the “ahmak” (fool) case of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, which began in 2019 and was moved to the appellate court on December 14, 2022, has still not been concluded. Within the scope of this file, İmamoğlu was sentenced to 2 years, 7 months, and 15 days in prison, along with a political ban.

Isn't it nice? The 2-year, 7-month, and 15-day prison sentence and political ban from the Ekrem İmamoğlu “Ahmak” file, which has a crime date of 2019 and went to the appellate court on 14.12.2022, has been sitting in the appellate court for more than 2 years, while the Sinan Ateş case, which was committed in December 2022, almost 3 years after that file... https://t.co/iZmE1OVRHs

— Av. Dr. Mehmet Ruşen Gültekin (@mruseng) June 12, 2025

The target of Gültekin's criticism was that while this file has been waiting for approximately three years, the sentence regarding the Sinan Ateş assassination, which was committed in December 2022 and caused a great stir in public opinion, was upheld by the appellate court in a short time. Moreover, the file included life imprisonment sentences.

News Source: 12punto