Presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has completed the second day of his defense in the trial publicly known as the IMM Case. It was stated that İmamoğlu will continue his statement tomorrow.
On the 99th day of the trial, held by the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court at the Marmara Closed Penal Execution Institution complex in Silivri, the allegations in the file involving 436 defendants, 53 of whom are in custody, were addressed. In his defense, İmamoğlu responded to the financial accusations in the indictment, as well as topics related to metro investments and municipal companies.
Stating that he met with Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek at the beginning of 2025, İmamoğlu said the municipality had a repayment obligation of 585 million dollars, which, with interest, approached 640 million dollars, and that they requested refinancing support. Expressing that they received a negative response three days later, İmamoğlu said, "They told us, 'Look after yourselves.' And we did."
RESPONSE TO FINANCIAL ACCUSATIONS IN THE INDICTMENT
Stating that the phrase "no direct link could be established" is used for some amounts in the indictment, İmamoğlu argued that these funds were nevertheless included in the public loss calculation. Claiming that the same amounts were shown with different figures on different pages, İmamoğlu also alleged that there were contradictions regarding loan dates and money inflows.
Stating that the IMM is a reputable public institution that pays its debts on time, İmamoğlu said they could not obtain loans from public banks or the Iller Bank during his term. However, noting that rail system investments were continued with equity, İmamoğlu stated that the funds coming from foreign loans were used to replace the equity spent previously.
In the section regarding metro investments, İmamoğlu said that 105 kilometers of metro lines were built and paid for by the end of the 2019-2026 period. Responding to allegations regarding the Kirazlı-Halkalı line, İmamoğlu argued that the public benefited from the tender cancellation and re-tendering process.
The nation won, and I am being tried because of that win. My organization is supposedly going to take a bribe from a tender, then cancel that tender itself, re-tender the work, give it for less, and earn half a billion for the public. Such a criminal organization has never been seen in the world!
İmamoğlu also made evaluations regarding the 155 actions mentioned in the indictment. Stating that there were 143 actions in the first indictment and 12 more were added with the supplementary indictment, İmamoğlu argued that the high number was "not due to the abundance of crime, but because the work done in Istanbul was added to the criminal file one by one."
Rejecting the claim of personal gain against bribery and extortion accusations, İmamoğlu alleged that municipal services such as nurseries, schools, mosques, dormitories, sports facilities, parking lots, cemevis, public buildings, restorations, and parks were made the subject of accusations in the file.
What is described as bribery in this file is the city's gain; there is no personal gain, there is public interest. When Ekrem does it, it is forbidden, it is called extortion; when someone else does it, it is permissible. That is the summary!
Touching upon the allegations of money laundering and concealing evidence in his defense, İmamoğlu argued that the file does not show which money obtained from which crime was laundered. Stating that his old phone, which he said he did not use, was used as the basis for the claim of concealing evidence, İmamoğlu argued that the accusations directed at him were political, not legal.
Responding to allegations regarding municipal subsidiaries, İmamoğlu said that institutions such as Ağaç AŞ and KİPTAŞ were turned into profitable structures that pass audits. Stating that the operation of billboards and infoboards through municipal companies has been practiced since 1994, İmamoğlu expressed that the same method was made the subject of accusations during their term.
News Source: 12punto
