No criminal elements found in the first report: MASAK's second report includes investigation into İmamoğlu's mother and son!
Following the arrest of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a second report prepared by MASAK has alleged suspicious transactions totaling 65 million TL involving his family and their companies.
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Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu's arrest has been followed by the preparation of a second report by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance's Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK).
According to a report by Sözcü, the second report levels new accusations against the İmamoğlu family and associated companies. This new 181-page report, which follows an initial report that found no criminal elements, examines various financial transactions.
The report examines the accounts of Ekrem İmamoğlu’s father Hasan İmamoğlu, mother Havva İmamoğlu, wife Dilek İmamoğlu, eldest son Selim İmamoğlu, and youngest son Semih İmamoğlu (20), as well as those of İmamoğlu A.Ş. CEO Tuncay Yılmaz, SBB Gayrimenkul, Güllüce Tarımcılık, and SEKU Yatçılık.
Specifically, transactions involving 65 million TL and 600 thousand Euros related to the transfer of 25 properties were evaluated under the scope of money laundering offenses. While these transactions might not be considered unusual for a company operating in the construction sector, they form the basis of the accusations.
Although the allegations, which do not total 100 million liras, are not particularly remarkable for a company involved in construction, the charges were built upon them. As is known, an initial allegation of corruption amounting to 560 billion liras—an amount exceeding the IMM's budget—had previously been leveled against İmamoğlu.
The MASAK report recommends the seizure of a total of 23 properties belonging to Hasan İmamoğlu and two other individuals. Furthermore, money transfers made by Selim İmamoğlu to his company in Croatia were also evaluated as proceeds of crime, and a request for international judicial assistance was made.
PROTESTS IN KOCAELİ AND THE LEGAL PROCESS
A lawsuit has been filed against 72 people who were detained during protests in Kocaeli in response to the investigations into Ekrem İmamoğlu. The indictment requests that these individuals be tried with prison sentences ranging from 6 months to 4 years. It was alleged that some individuals at the protests covered their faces with masks and threw various objects at the police. CHP Kocaeli Provincial Chair Bülent Sarı stated that the young people were exercising their democratic rights peacefully and that they would stand by them throughout the legal process.