İmamoğlu refuses to attend hearing in expert witness case
ISTANBUL
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his legal team on June 12 boycotted the first hearing of a case initiated over his remarks on an expert witness, citing procedural irregularities.
The hearing, initially scheduled to be held at Istanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse, was relocated to a courthouse inside the Marmara Prison complex in the Silivri district just 24 hours prior.
İmamoğlu from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been held at the Silivri prison since late March over a separate corruption-related case targeting the Istanbul Municipality, several district mayors and top officials.
The June 12 hearing concerns remarks İmamoğlu made on Jan. 27, in which he accused court-appointed expert Satılmış Büyükcanayakın of submitting fraudulent reports in corruption investigations targeting district municipalities governed by the CHP.
Prosecutors alleged that these comments constitute an attempt to influence judicial proceedings and have requested a prison sentence of between two and four years, along with a political ban.
If convicted, İmamoğlu could be barred from holding or running for public office.
With the mayor and his lawyers’ absence, the court scheduled the next hearing for Sept. 26.
Before the hearing, the CHP released a statement saying the mayor and his lawyers would not attend the hearing due to what they described as an “unlawful change of venue.”
From prison, İmamoğlu issued a written statement calling the hearing “irregular” and “in violation of fundamental legal principles,” adding, “I refuse to be a part of such a process and therefore will not attend the hearing.”
This is not the only legal challenge facing the prominent opposition figure. In a separate case, İmamoğlu has been also under investigation for remarks he made on Jan. 20, in which he criticized Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. During a panel discussion, İmamoğlu condemned the legal action against CHP Youth Branch head Cem Aydın, saying, “Your aim is to intimidate the people. Chief Prosecutor, I’m telling you…”
