site.btaTurkish Opposition Leader Denounces Istanbul Mayor Corruption Case as Politically Motivated "Coup Memorandum"

The leader of Turkiye's largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, has described the corruption charges linked to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality — which led to Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest and suspension — as politically motivated, comparing them to a memorandum issued by coup organizers.

Ozel's comments on the social network X followed the announcement of an indictment seeking nearly 2,400 years in prison for Imamoglu, a CHP member, while simultaneously requesting that the Supreme Court file a case to ban the party.

"On March 19, the day Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested, a civil coup took place in our country. This time, those who carried it out did not arrive with tanks or send telegrams by post; they came dressed in the robes of justice. A handful of people who came to power through elections now refuse to leave through elections. By imprisoning the opponents they feared, they have dragged Turkiye into the darkness of political and economic crisis. Over the following 237 days, together with our sacred people, we witnessed every hour of this great injustice. The indictment presented today once again exposes the truth we all knew," Ozel said.

He stressed that the case is not lawful but politically motivated, aimed at halting the CHP — which came first in the latest elections — and preventing its presidential nominee.

Imamoglu, the CHP’s candidate for president and considered a key challenger to President Erdogan, was detained on March 19 on corruption charges, and several days later the Istanbul City Council temporarily removed him from office. Several municipal officials were also detained as part of the investigation, prompting protests described as the largest in Turkiye since 2013.

"Today, the organizers of the coup have lost their senses to the extent that they are seeking to shut down the CHP, Turkiye's founding party, whose charter is registered in the name of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The Supreme Prosecutor's reference to constitutional provisions allowing the closure of a party proves that the matter is not about investigating the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. What is happening today is a blatant case of judicial interference in democratic politics and in the outcome of future elections. This is not an indictment; it is a politically motivated memorandum by coup organisers," Ozel wrote.

He saw clear political ambitions behind the actions targeting Turkiye's largest opposition party.

"The reasons for the injustices we have endured are by no means legal; they are driven by the political ambitions of one man. In the past, we have paid a high price, we are paying it today, and we will continue to pay it — but we will never give up on believing in the people. Ataturk's party belongs to our nation," the opposition leader emphasized.