site.bta18 Defendants in Istanbul Mayor Case Granted Conditional Release, 89 Remain in Custody

In the courtroom at Marmara Penitentiaries Campus near the city of Silivri, the trial against the suspended Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu continued on one of the many charges against him, namely “forming an organization with the intent to commit crimes”, in which 107 people are defendants, including mayors of municipalities from the opposition Republican People's Party, officials and businessmen.

On Friday, at the latest, 15th hearing of the criminal court, the judge announced an interim decision that had been adopted unanimously by the judicial panel. According to the decision, 18 people have been granted conditional release from prison and a ban on leaving the country. The remaining 89 people in this case remain in custody.

Among those conditionally released are employees from various departments of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

The trial against Ekrem İmamoğlu, in which a total of 407 people are defendants, began on 9 March, one year after his arrest.

The prosecution is seeking up to 2,352 years in prison for İmamoğlu, who is charged with “forming an organisation with the intent to commit crimes”, “concealing evidence of a crime”, “obstructing communication”, “damaging public property”, “bribery”, “public dissemination of misleading information”, “extortion”, “fraud against public institutions”, “money laundering of assets obtained from criminal activity”, and “bid rigging”.