Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Aug. 18 called on the court to allow him sufficient time to present his defense, as the trial continued on its second day.
İmamoğlu criticized the court after it recorded that he had exercised his “right to remain silent” when proceedings in the Istanbul Municipality corruption case resumed on Aug. 17, following a 40-day recess.
Addressing the presiding judge during the Aug. 18 hearing, İmamoğlu said, “I did not exercise my right to remain silent. The notion that I ‘exercised my right to remain silent’ is entirely fabricated. I also do not accept the term ‘waiver.’”
The court said on Aug. 17 that İmamoğlu could present his defense “at an appropriate time.”
The dispute stems from a confrontation between İmamoğlu and the presiding judge during the previous hearing in July, when İmamoğlu sought more time to deliver his defense. The court rejected his request, prompting a heated exchange.
“If you do not wish to make a defense, it will be recorded in the minutes that you exercised your right to remain silent, and I will close the hearing,” the presiding judge told İmamoğlu at the time.
The resumed hearings are being held in a newly built courtroom opposite the prison complex in Istanbul’s Silivri district.
İmamoğlu’s wife, Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, and Yeni Party leader Özgür Özel attended the first hearing on Aug. 17.
İmamoğlu has been imprisoned since March 2025 as part of a corruption investigation targeting the Istanbul Municipality. Several district mayors have also been jailed pending trial in connection with the case.
