The fifth day of hearings in the sweeping corruption case against Istanbul’s suspended mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, ended abruptly Monday after a dispute over courtroom seating escalated into disruptions involving opposition lawmakers and defense lawyers.
The hearing at the Marmara Prison and Courthouse Complex in Istanbul’s Silivri district lasted only minutes before the presiding judge suspended proceedings following heated arguments over where several lawyers and political figures were allowed to sit.
After an hourlong break, the judicial panel did not return to the courtroom. A court officer later informed lawyers that the session had been postponed until Tuesday.
The trial involves 407 defendants, including 107 who remain in detention, and centers on allegations of a wide-ranging corruption network linked to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB). Prosecutors accuse Imamoğlu of leading a criminal organization that orchestrated bribery, bid-rigging and fraud schemes tied to municipal contracts.
Monday’s session had been expected to continue with the defense of detainee Ümit Polat’s legal team, followed by statements from several other defendants, including Ağaç Inc. employee Fatih Yağcı and business figures Ali Üner and Evren Şirolu.
Instead, tensions erupted before proceedings fully began.
Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) lawmaker Turan Taşkın Özer entered the courtroom wearing a lawyer’s robe and said he was attending in his capacity as a legal professional. Gendarmerie officers instructed him to move to the public gallery, saying he was not registered as a defense attorney in the case.
Özer refused, arguing that he had come as a lawyer and had the right to remain in the defense section of the courtroom.
The dispute continued as the panel entered the chamber. The presiding judge ordered lawyers without formal authorization in the case to sit in the spectator section, but several remained in the defense area.
As arguments intensified, the judge announced a recess and ordered the defendants temporarily removed from the courtroom.
Another CHP lawmaker, Mahmut Tanal, further heightened tensions by removing a handcuff used to secure a barrier separating the press and spectators, further disrupting the proceedings.
The confrontation forced the court to suspend the hearing shortly after it began. About an hour later, a court clerk returned to the courtroom and announced that the session would resume the following day.
Security around the courthouse had already been tightened before Monday’s hearing following disruptions during earlier sessions. Authorities set up checkpoints roughly 500 meters from the prison complex, stopping vehicles and restricting access to the courthouse area. Only journalists carrying official press accreditation were allowed into the building.
The trial marks the second week of hearings in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest corruption investigations involving a Turkish municipality.
The indictment, completed in November 2025, spans more than 3,800 pages and accuses Imamoğlu and dozens of municipal officials, business figures and associates of participating in an organized network that allegedly manipulated public tenders and siphoned off large sums from municipal projects.
Prosecutors say the alleged scheme caused public losses totaling around TL 161 billion ($3.6 billion) through 143 acts involving bribery, fraud and other offenses.
Imamoğlu, who was removed from office and jailed pending trial, is described in the indictment as the “leader of a criminal organization for profit.” The charges against him include forming and leading a criminal organization, bribery, bid-rigging, fraud against public institutions, laundering criminal proceeds and illegally obtaining and distributing personal data.
If convicted on all counts linked to 142 alleged acts, he could face prison sentences ranging from about 828 years to more than 2,300 years.
Imamoğlu and his main opposition party deny the accusations.
The court began hearing the case on March 9 and has been taking testimony from detained defendants. During the first week of proceedings, suspects including former officials and municipal employees presented their defenses before the court.
According to the defense schedule prepared by the court, hearings are expected to continue with statements from additional defendants connected to allegations involving the municipal company Ağaç Inc. once the trial resumes.
Proceedings will pause later this week due to the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
Despite Monday’s brief session, the case is expected to stretch over months as judges hear testimony from hundreds of suspects and examine evidence tied to the sprawling investigation into alleged corruption within the municipality.
