Istanbul's ex-mayor denounces accusations that 'wouldn't even cross the devil's mind' after being indicted in new case
Ekrem Imamoglu, surrounded by his supporters before appearing before the court in a separate case in which he was charged before his arrest, PHOTO: Yasin Akgul / AFP / Profimedia
A Turkish court has issued a new official arrest warrant for jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on suspicion of “political espionage”, state news agency Anadolu reported on Monday, as quoted by Reuters.
Imamoglu, a key rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, has been in prison since March awaiting trial in a corruption case. In July he received a prison sentence in another case, for insulting and threatening Istanbul's chief prosecutor.
Imamoglu denies all the charges brought against him and accuses the justice system of being used against him by the regime of President Recep Erdogan.
He denied the latest charge on Sunday.
“Such slander, lie and conspiracy would not cross the mind of even the devil!” he told Imamoglu in a message published by his team on the “X” platform. “We are faced with a shameful indecency that cannot be described in words,” he charged.
Hundreds of members of Imamoglu's party have been indicted in Turkey
Anadolu Agency reported that an Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant overnight for Imamoglu and two others, including Merdan Yanardag, editor-in-chief of the Tele1 news channel.
The channel, known for its critical stance towards the government, was taken over by the state on Friday on allegations of “espionage”.
The latest court ruling accuses Imamoglu of engaging in corruption to raise funds for his presidential bid and “espionage activities” to gain international support.
Hundreds of members and elected leaders of Imamoglu's main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), are facing a raft of corruption-related charges in a crackdown the group says is politicized and undemocratic.
The CHP rejects the corruption allegations, calling them a politicized attempt by the government to eliminate electoral threats to Erdogan – a charge the government denies.
The Turkish opposition received rare good news on Friday after another court rejected a request to impeach the leader of the CHP and cancel the party's 2023 congress.
