Istanbul
Reuters
—
A Turkish prosecutor demanded on Tuesday a jail sentence of greater than 2,000 years for Ekrem Imamoglu, the jailed opposition mayor of Istanbul, for allegedly main an enormous corruption community that price the state billions of lira, in accordance with an indictment seen by Reuters.
Imamoglu, who’s President Tayyip Erdogan’s foremost political rival, has beforehand denied all of the accusations towards him, saying they’re politically motivated, and his social gathering on Tuesday rejected the most recent costs as “nonsense.”
In a separate transfer that additionally deepened an unprecedented year-long authorized crackdown on Erdogan’s critics, the Istanbul prosecutor requested the next court docket to think about shutting down Imamoglu’s foremost opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek introduced the indictment at a press convention, saying it names 402 suspects, together with the mayor, and accuses them of forming a prison group, bribery, fraud and bid-rigging.
Gurlek mentioned the community brought on 160 billion lira ($3.8 billion) in losses to the Turkish state over a 10-year interval.
The greater than 4,000-page indictment consists of a corporation chart that portrays Imamoglu because the founder and head of the prison group.
It cites findings by the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), professional evaluation and digital and video proof, and alleges that a number of businesspeople have been coerced into paying bribes by a secret fund working throughout the municipality.
Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the allegations past the contents of the indictment.
Ozgur Celik, the CHP’s Istanbul head, mentioned on X that the indictment was “nonsense” and “shameful,” including that it was geared toward wrecking Imamoglu’s hopes to turn into Turkey’s president.
The Istanbul municipality and Imamoglu’s legal professionals didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
In its notification to the Court of Cassation requesting that it take into account closing the CHP, the prosecutor’s workplace alleged that the social gathering was financed by illicit funds and that its transactions constituted “prohibited acts.”
Imamoglu has been in jail since March pending trial on corruption costs and obtained a separate prison sentence in July for insulting and threatening the town’s chief prosecutor, a verdict he’s interesting.
The authorities denies the assertion by Imamoglu and the CHP that the case towards him is politically pushed and says that Turkey’s courts are unbiased.