Erdogan Main Rival Probed Criticizing Prosecutor
(Bloomberg) — Turkish authorities opened an investigation into Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Main Rival.
The public prosecutor’s office in Istanbul accused Imamoglu of making “threatening” statements against Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek and his family, state-run Anadolu agency said. Gurlek was until recently the deputy justice minister in Erdogan’s government.
Imamoglu denied the accusation that his words were meant as a threat, in a post on X.
This is the most recent in a series of investigations targeting the Republican People’s Party, the country’s biggest opposition group and political home to Imamoglu. The Istanbul mayor became the most prominent rival to Erdogan after defeating the president’s party in 2019 and again last year. He secured his second term in March, in a vote which polls had suggested was too close to call.
Turkey Justice Minister Tunc Aydin defended the probe, saying remarks threatening judicial officials “can’t be accepted.” The probe came just hours after Imamoglu accused Gurlek of briefly detaining a fellow politician in an act of intimidation.
“You issue a detention warrant for Cem Aydin. You raid his house. Your aim is to intimidate,” Imamoglu said Monday. “Attorney General, I am telling you, we will remove the mind that governs you from the minds of this nation in order to save even your children from these treatments.”
Turkey’s government has increasingly scrutinized opposition-held municipalities since suffering heavy losses in key cities, including Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. Recently, municipal bank accounts have been frozen over social security debts, hampering local governments’ ability to operate.
The Istanbul mayor is also facing a separate case where he’s accused of insulting members of Turkey’s election authority. In the 2019 election, Imamoglu’s victory was initially annulled and he was forced into a re-run. The high-profile figure in Turkey’s opposition faces a political ban if an initial prison sentence of two years and seven months in prison is upheld by higher appeals courts.
(Updates with remarks from justice minister from third paragraph)
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