An Istanbul prosecutor opened a new judicial investigation against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Monday, Turkish media reported. The investigation concerns an alleged attempt to influence the judiciary after Imamoglu sharply criticized judicial inspections targeting opposition-run municipalities, quoted by News.bg.
News of the investigation was announced shortly after Imamoglu, seen as a potential future rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused the government of using the judiciary as a tool for political pressure on the opposition.
At a press conference, the mayor said the same expert had been assigned to several judicial inspections against him and other municipalities in Istanbul run by the main opposition party – The Republican People's Party (CHP), of which he is a member. The government has rejected accusations of political interference, stressing that Turkey's judiciary is independent. This investigation comes a week after another court case against İmamoğlu was sparked by his criticism of an Istanbul prosecutor over the detention of the head of the CHP's youth wing. In 2022, İmamoğlu was convicted of insulting public officials after criticizing a decision to annul the first round of a previous municipal election in which he defeated the candidate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He appealed the conviction, but if upheld, he could be banned from politics for five years. Imamoğlu was re-elected as mayor last year, heightening tensions between the government and the opposition after the AKP suffered some of its worst losses in local elections.