DMM denies claims of trustee appointment to IMM: 'It is out of the question'

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained on March 19 as part of investigations into financial crimes and urban consensus. İmamoğlu was arrested today and sent to prison. Following the arrest decision, the DMM issued a statement indicating that no trustee has been appointed to replace İmamoğlu.

48 people, including Şişli Mayor Resul Emre Şahan, Beylikdüzü Mayor Murat Çalık, Medya A.Ş. Board Chairman and İmamoğlu's advisor Murat Ongun, Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA) President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Buğra Gökçe, and IMM Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, were also arrested.

Following the arrests, claims emerged on social media that a trustee had been appointed to the IMM. The DMM refuted these claims via its official social media account.

The statement issued by the DMM noted the following:

''The claim shared by some social media accounts that 'a trustee has been appointed to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality' is not true. The Ministry of Interior has announced that the Mayors of Istanbul Metropolitan and Beylikdüzü have been suspended from duty as a temporary measure due to their detention. Accordingly, the Istanbul Governorship has announced that the Acting Mayors will be elected in the Istanbul and Beylikdüzü municipal councils on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Therefore, the appointment of a trustee to the relevant municipalities is out of the question. Do not give credence to baseless claims intended to manipulate the public.''

In its statement, the DMM called on the public not to give credence to baseless claims in order to ensure access to accurate information.

News Source: 12punto