A name close to İmamoğlu... A group within the CHP reportedly said, 'If you become Chairman, the Court of Cassation won't uphold the verdict'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is facing a political ban case, and a striking piece of behind-the-scenes information has emerged.

Sözcü columnist Aytunç Erkin reached out to a figure who knows İmamoğlu well and worked in his election office, following the buzz surrounding the Ekrem İmamoğlu profiles in T24 columnist Murat Sabuncu’s “One CHP, Four Portraits” series. 

'THE ISSUE IS THE COURT OF CASSATION'

The source close to İmamoğlu stated, “They blew this incident out of proportion via the appellate court. I won't name names; a group within the CHP told him, ‘You become the chairman; if you become the chairman, the Court of Cassation cannot uphold the verdict.’ We just laughed it off.”

The source close to İmamoğlu, who remarked, “It’s a situation that lacks logic. The sentence is upheld when you are a mayor, but not when you are a chairman? Let me give you an example: Canan Kaftancıoğlu was the CHP provincial chair and the sentence was issued,” added, “Look, we never had any hope for the appellate court anyway. We are expecting them to uphold the sentence. The issue is the Court of Cassation.”

'KEMAL BEY HAS NO CHANCE OF BECOMING CHAIRMAN'

This individual also responded as follows to the question, “Is Ekrem İmamoğlu in cooperation with Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu?”:

“Will Kemal Bey be a candidate? Of course not. There are situations that go against the nature of things. People say (İmamoğlu will cooperate with Kılıçdaroğlu). Logic is no longer sought when writing things these days. Kemal Bey has influence, but he has no chance of becoming chairman.”

'THERE’S YOUR REASON FOR A FIGHT'

This individual also responded as follows to the question regarding whether İmamoğlu had commissioned a poll for the chairmanship:

“Ekrem Bey did not conduct a poll for the chairmanship. Why would he? Why did he enter the municipal elections then? Why did he run for IMM? What does it mean to leave Istanbul six months after the election? Why would someone who received 51 percent of the vote leave? What I cannot understand is why these discussions have become so widespread so early. Why and how would he leave the municipality? What is the benefit? If he were to conduct a study for the chairmanship, people would say, ‘He brought his own people and took them away,’ and there’s your reason for a fight.”