Imprisoned Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu has alleged that there is a connection between the process known as the fund investigation and the operations targeting the IMM. In a letter sent to Sözcü columnist Saygı Öztürk and published in his column, İmamoğlu called for the investigation to be conducted comprehensively.
Describing the fund investigation as a "special design," İmamoğlu claimed that the process involved political, administrative, bureaucratic, and judicial components. Arguing that certain transactions on the stock exchange during the period when operations against the IMM intensified were not sufficiently investigated, İmamoğlu stated that the allegations reflected in the public eye should not be covered up.
In his letter, İmamoğlu recalled that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office sent a letter to the Capital Markets Board (SPK) on February 26, 2025, and stated that the process of revoking his diploma accelerated during the same period. Noting that Istanbul University issued a revocation decision on March 18, 2025, and the IMM operation was carried out on March 19, İmamoğlu asked why the investigation did not proceed with the same speed.
One of the topics İmamoğlu drew attention to was the sharp declines in the stock market. Stating that there was a 16.3 percent loss in Borsa İstanbul in two days following the March 19, 2025 operation and that the one-week loss reached 31.5 billion dollars, İmamoğlu argued that the transactions made through TERA during this process should be investigated.
İmamoğlu alleged that there were increases in certain stocks that he said TERA focused on during the period when the market was declining. Claiming that similar transactions were made in the subsequent period when discussions regarding the "absolute nullity" of the CHP were on the agenda, İmamoğlu alleged that TERA carried out purchases worth 1 billion 870 million dollars during this period.
Stating that the SPK and the Central Securities Depository (MKK) possess the details of the transactions, İmamoğlu demanded that it be clarified by whom, with what resources, and through which connections these purchases were made. İmamoğlu claimed that there was a swindle of approximately 17 billion dollars in the fund investigation.
Rejecting the allegations that a fund was created for his presidential candidacy, İmamoğlu stated that no money or funds supporting these claims were found in his home, among his bureaucrats, or his close colleagues. İmamoğlu emphasized that audit and investigation processes should be applied equally to everyone.
At the end of his letter, İmamoğlu argued that the fund investigation has a political dimension and stated that those responsible must be held accountable. He reiterated his call for an investigation into his claims that there is a link between the IMM operations and the fund swindle allegations.
News Source: 12punto
