Prosecutor asks for imprisonment of Imamoglu, Mayor of Istanbul

A lawsuit was filed after the press release of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu following the cancellation of the March 31, 2019 elections. The prosecutor asked for a sentence of 4 years and 1 month in prison.

A charge had been filed against IMAMOGLU due to a press statement he made in an interview after the cancellation of the March 31 elections, in which Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu won by a margin of 13 thousand votes to his close opponent. He is prosecuted for insulting the president and members of the YSK (Board of Election). The prosecutor gave the opinion that Imamoglu should be sentenced to 4 years and 1 month in prison for ”Publicly insulting public officials working in the form of a board for their duties”.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who had criticized the speech of IMM President Ekrem Imamoglu in Strasbourg, had said: “I am calling on the idiot who went to the European Parliament and complained about Turkey. Shame on what our people gave you.”

Imamoglu, who reacted very sharply to Soylu’s calling him an “idiot” without naming him, had also used the words “Those who canceled the election on March 31 are idiots” in a statement made on November 4, 2019.

Important Note: Based on great majority of polls so far, if Imamoglu runs for presidency in 2023 election, he is very likely to have a win with good majority – meaning he could be the most powerful opponent for current President in case he is nominated by the Alliance of Nation (6 party table now, meaning opposition).

In case he is sentenced to 4 years, he would not be able to run for presidency, obviously.