‘Terror’ investigation into İmamoğlu: Claims of a trustee for IMM on the agenda! Ministry of Interior is preparing

A new investigation has been added to those launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Following İmamoğlu's detention, proceedings were also initiated against him on charges of “aiding a terrorist organization.” The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also opened an additional investigation into İmamoğlu as part of the efforts carried out under the name of “urban consensus.”

Following the investigation in question, claims that a trustee could be appointed to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) have come to the fore in Ankara's political circles. It is alleged that the Ministry of Interior is making preparations in this direction.

DETENTION ORDERS FOR HIGH-LEVEL FIGURES

Within the scope of the investigation, detention orders were issued not only for İmamoğlu but also for some high-level figures within the municipality. It was stated that detention orders were issued for IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, Şişli Mayor Resul Ekrem Şahan, Reform Institute President Mehmet Ali Çalışkan, and Şişli Deputy Mayor Ebru Özdemir on charges of aiding a terrorist organization.

TRUSTEE TALK IN POLITICAL CIRCLES

The allegations brought to mind the decision to appoint a trustee to the Esenyurt Municipality within the scope of a previous terror investigation. In political circles, it is being discussed that a similar step could be taken for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued detention orders for İmamoğlu on two separate charges. The statement regarding the detention order issued on terror charges stated the following:

"Within the scope of the investigation conducted by our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Terror Crimes Investigation Bureau; regarding the urban consensus activity implemented in the local elections held on 31.03.2024, in order to increase the activities of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization in metropolitan provinces, especially in Istanbul, it was determined that terrorist organization leaders CUMA (alias) Cemil BAYIK and HÜSEYİN AVAREŞ (alias) Mustafa KARASU conveyed their views and instructions before the said election through media outlets affiliated with the terrorist organization, that findings regarding the alliance of Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu with the People's Democratic Congress (HDK) umbrella structure of the terrorist organization on the basis of urban consensus for the Istanbul local elections were announced by media affiliated with the terrorist organization, that the HDK structure, which was determined to have formed an alliance before the Istanbul local elections, is similar to the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), which is accepted by the Court of Cassation as the umbrella structure of the terrorist organization according to the reports of the General Directorate of Security's Counter-Terrorism Department, and that it is an alternative parliament to the TBMM (Grand National Assembly of Turkey) for the terrorist organization, and based on this finding, simultaneous apprehension and detention operations were carried out against HDK members in many provinces, especially in our province, and the investigations have been carried out and are still ongoing..."

18 ORGANIZATION MEMBERS ARRESTED

"Furthermore, when the municipal council members elected from the CHP quota and the appointed deputy mayors were examined based on the stated findings, it was determined that some of them had links to the terrorist organization and had registered as CHP members only a few days before the local election dated 31.03.2024, that a total of 10 people, including the Deputy Mayors of Ataşehir and Kartal and 8 IMM council members, among the municipal council members elected from the CHP quota and appointed deputy mayors in various districts of Istanbul to date, appeared in the HDK data and were determined to be members of the organization and were detained and arrested within the scope of our investigations, that apart from these individuals, 8 municipal council members were arrested within the scope of our investigations due to their other connections to the terrorist organization outside of the HDK, that 18 terrorist organization member council members have been arrested in the manner described so far, and that investigation procedures regarding the remaining suspects are continuing...

According to the information and documents obtained within the scope of the investigation; it is understood that Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İMAMOĞLU, IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir POLAT, Şişli Mayor Resul Ekrem ŞAHAN, Reform Institute President Mehmet Ali ÇALIŞKAN, fugitive suspect A.B. who was determined to be active in the ideological field structure of the PKK/KCK terrorist organization, H.A. (who was found to have been involved in the transfer of personnel to the rural area of the terrorist organization in 2018) who is an employee of SPECTRUM HOUSE owned by A.B., and Şişli Deputy Mayor Ebru ÖZDEMİR participated in the “Urban Consensus” activity, that terrorist organization members/sympathizers were hired within the IMM subsidiary Istanbul Planning Agency and BİMTAŞ, and that suspect Ekrem İMAMOĞLU, together with other suspects, committed the crime of aiding the PKK/KCK terrorist organization by knowingly participating in the urban consensus activity, which aims to increase the effectiveness in metropolitan areas as expressed by the management of the terrorist organization, considering that the municipal council member lists were determined with his approval in the local elections, and instructions were given to the Istanbul Police Department Counter-Terrorism Branch Directorate to carry out simultaneous apprehension, detention, search, and seizure operations for the aforementioned (7) suspects as of 06.15 on 19/03/2025."

News Source: 12punto