The detained and delineated Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu criticized the trial against him before a court in Silivri as politically motivated. He stands here because he had won three elections against the person “who believes that Istanbul has,” said İmamoğlu, alluding to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had started his political career in the 1990s as the mayor of the city. The threat of a public prosecutor is officially accused.
A lawyer İmamoğlus criticized that the process did not take place in the Istanbul courthouse as planned, but was moved to the remote Silivri. Due to the removal and more difficult access conditions in Silivri, this violates the basic public principle of a process, said the lawyer.
The next trial day was scheduled for June 16, as İmamoğlu’s lawyer confirmed the dpa news agency. A prison sentence of up to 7 years and 4 months as well as a political ban.
This article is updated.
