Imamoglu throws down the gauntlet: 'If I am the target, do not make my colleagues suffer'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu made statements at the Besiktas Municipality regarding the detention of Besiktas Mayor Riza Akpolat.

In his statement, Ekrem Imamoglu reacted to Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gurlek.

"Unfortunately, we are facing a chief public prosecutor's office in Istanbul that is neither fair nor impartial," said Imamoglu, adding, "We have been experiencing this injustice for months with the gentleman who is the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor and his team of young prosecutors, and we continue to experience it."

Imamoglu continued as follows:

"A detention measure is legally a measure to be taken only in cases where the statements of the parties cannot be taken under normal conditions, or where obstacles arise or are expected to arise. As if this were a routine practice, as if they were being taken from their homes every day in a dawn raid, our public officials, whose whereabouts are known and who would come and be held accountable whenever called, and of course our mayor, my brother Riza, were detained in a dawn operation."

EXPLAINED THE LEGISLATION

"According to our election legislation, if judges and prosecutors resign to become candidates for a political party, they cannot return to their duties as judges and prosecutors because they have expressed a desire to take on a political role, even if they do not win the election. It doesn't say 'elected'! It says if you resign to become a candidate," said Imamoglu, and stated the following:

"This gentleman, who served as Deputy Minister of Justice for approximately 28 months, is appointed as the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor. One might say, 'Well, the position of Deputy Minister is a position reached by appointment, not by election results. What does it have to do with it?' It has a lot to do with it. We are in a different regime right now, we are in a different system. If we look at the statement made by the President at the press conference at that time, the gentleman who served as Deputy Minister of Justice for a period in Istanbul is, as of the date he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Justice, in a way a political undersecretary.

He started his duty as a political undersecretary. He is someone who has not only not left that political undersecretary duty but has also internalized it. In other words, during the 28 months he remained in office as Deputy Minister of Justice, he was clearly a politician by the President's own expression. In this case, while a judge or prosecutor who is a candidate for any position according to election legislation cannot even return to their duty, a political undersecretary who has served as Deputy Minister of Justice for approximately 28 months is currently the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor..."

"WE ARE UNDER JUDICIAL HARASSMENT"

"We are under judicial harassment. Now these friends are chasing lustful excitements with new operations. Currently, our Mayor (Riza Akpolat) and some of his colleagues are in custody. What is the reason? There is a businessperson, but that businessperson is actually a criminal organization leader! CHP-run municipalities, some of which include IMM companies, have given tenders to this person's companies! There might be some abuses here!"

MILLIONS WORTH OF VEHICLE GIFTED TO AKP MUNICIPALITY!

"The company of this person, who is called a criminal organization leader, gifted a 'very luxury' category, multi-million lira 'Audi A8' brand official car to the AK Party Mayor of Isparta. Remember me every day! For example, will you ask these questions to the Mayor of Isparta? Will you conduct interrogations as to why this businessperson gifted you a vehicle worth millions of liras?"

'AHMAK' (FOOL) CASE STATEMENT

Imamoglu made the following assessment regarding the 'ahmak' (fool) case, in which a political ban and prison sentence are requested for him:

"The 'ahmak' case, which is being held at the Court of Appeal, continues. The judge of my case was changed in a manner inconsistent with procedure. The exiled judge—I say exiled because the AK Party IMM Spokesperson stated it himself—said that he was threatened to give me a sentence of more than 2 years. I applied to the HSK (Council of Judges and Prosecutors) twice. They did not listen. Let our nation hear this! No one has the luxury, we can all be tried. But there is a procedure, a decorum, and a rule for this. They assigned a judge here against whom the HSK has opened an investigation, and who has that investigation hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles. This judge, with the sword of Damocles hanging over my head, gave me a sentence in a short time."