The mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, principal opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday March 19 in the morning, announced his office to AFP, while local media cites two investigations on terrorism and corruption as reasons for his arrest.
“Hundreds of police officers arrived at my door. I get back to my nation. The police broke into my home and strike at my door,” said Ekrem Imamoglu on X. One of his collaborators told AFP that the mayor was then arrested and led to the police.
According to local media, which cite a press release from the Istanbul prosecutor’s office, Ekrem Imamoglu is accused of being “at the head of a for -profit criminal organization” as part of the corruption investigation, as well as “Aid to the PKK”, party of Kurdistan workers, considered as a terrorist by Ankara in the context of a second investigation.
Diploma canceled
The University of Istanbul had canceled Tuesday, due to “nullity” and “manifest error”, the diploma of Ekrem Imamoglu, adding an additional obstacle to its possible candidacy for the Turkish presidency. Under the Constitution, a diploma in higher education is indeed required for any candidacy for the functions of head of state.
Ekrem Imamoglu is currently alone in the running to represent the CHP, the main parliamentary opposition party, at the next presidential election, scheduled for 2028. It must be officially appointed on Sunday during a primary. The mayor of Istanbul “will be our candidate for the presidency”, maintained Tuesday evening the president of the CHP, Ozgur Ozel, hoping that justice quickly returns to the cancellation of his diploma, which he described as “stain”.
In 2023, Ekrem Imamoglu had already been de facto prevented from presenting himself to the presidency, due to a conviction in December 2022 to a sentence of two years and seven months in prison with a ban on political activities for “insult” made to the members of the Turkish High Committee, a conviction which he called.
Vehetely opposing President Erdogan, Ekrem Imamoglu denounced the “harassment” of justice at him at the end. He then left a court in Istanbul where he was heard in the context of an open investigation after criticism against the Attorney General of this city.