The IMM trial, which includes 436 defendants, 53 of whom are in custody, including detained Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor (IMM) Ekrem İmamoğlu, continues on its 100th day at the Marmara Closed Prison in Silivri.
The hearing was attended by numerous politicians, including YENİ Party leader Özgür Özel, IYI Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu, IYI Party MP Buğra Kavuncu, DEVA Party MP Sadullah Kısacık, Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi) MPs Bülent Kaya and Birol Aydın, DEM Party MP İbrahim Akın, and Green Left Party Chairman Ahmet Asena.
"There is No Crime in This File, There is Politics"
Continuing his defense, Ekrem İmamoğlu stated that the trial process and the indictment were a political intervention and used the following expressions:
"We saw a dawn raid, even a suhoor raid. We saw a 4-day investigation that passed without questions, open to everyone but closed to the defense. We saw a system of informants operating on the principle of 'Arrest them, take the family, set the template, open the door'... I am stating my verdict: There is no crime in this file. There is politics in this file, there is the ballot box, there is the will of the nation. There are people in a state of helplessness trying to defeat that will with a criminal file."
Harsh Reaction to Kılıçdaroğlu: "I Will Not Let You Get Away With This!"
Touching upon the pressures on his family and close circle, İmamoğlu responded harshly to the assessments made by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was brought to the head of the CHP, claiming that "the IMM trial is not political":
"So this trial is not political. I will not let you get away with this! Whether you are a trustee at the head of a party or whatever you are. I have no filter on my tongue. I am currently speaking about my honor, my integrity, and my dignity."
"You Can Find the Money You Are Looking For in Silivri"
Displaying the investments and social projects carried out during his IMM term on screens, İmamoğlu attacked the prosecution and showed where the money went:
Social Housing: Providing homes to 1,396 families with installments below the minimum wage through the KİPTAŞ Silivri 4th Stage Social Housing project.
Infrastructure and Energy: Stream rehabilitation, İSKİ investments, and the biomass energy production facility in Silivri Seymen.
Social and Local Services: Life Valley (Yaşam Vadisi), Silivri Müjdat Gürsu Stadium, Selimpaşa Junction, 5 new nurseries, City Restaurants (Kent Lokantası), and fuel, seedling, and seed support provided to farmers.
Emphasizing that they provided services without discrimination, İmamoğlu said, "For five years, there was an MHP mayor here... We produced services relentlessly for five years in this district, where the mayor was from the MHP, without any discrimination."
"Corruption Files Worth 2.5 Billion Dollars Were Covered Up"
Explaining the irregularities regarding the IMM administration during the AKP era with concrete data, İmamoğlu stated that criminal complaints were filed regarding 64 files identified by municipal inspectors, and the total value of the 33 reported files was 2.5 billion dollars:
Military Area Expropriation (2016): Expropriating a military strategic area that the IMM could not use for 13.5 million dollars, creating a public loss of 11.5 million dollars.
Bahçeşehir Land Purchase (2016): KİPTAŞ purchasing a plot of land for 130 million liras (with a profit of 27 million dollars) that had been bought for 49.5 million liras just 4 days earlier.
Land Transfer in Fatih (2017): Selling land bought for 13 million dollars to the IMM for 119 million dollars through zoning changes, resulting in a public loss of 106 million dollars.
Stating that all these files were seized by the Ministry of Interior for investigation and then dismissed, İmamoğlu said, "These are the arms of the octopus... We have been robbed of 85 billion dollars, my people, we have been robbed."
Criticism of Akın Gürlek and Judicial Pressure
Criticizing Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, who was involved in the investigation process and made public statements about him, as well as the changes in judicial duties, İmamoğlu stated that the 23 judges presiding over the case were replaced, his lawyers' meeting hours were leaked, and his lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan was transferred to Kandıra Prison in the middle of the night.
Also touching upon the detention of journalist Murat Ağırel, İmamoğlu invited the opposition and citizens to react and stand in unity.
Kanal İstanbul Warning: "Who Did You Promise?"
Drawing attention to the environmental and urban threats posed by the Kanal İstanbul project, İmamoğlu said the project would bring an additional population of 2 million and destroy 135 million square meters of agricultural and forest land, along with the Sazlıdere and Terkos dams. Describing the project as a "bad real estate agent project," İmamoğlu expressed his reaction by saying, "What is this rush? Who did you promise?"
News Source: 12punto
