Almost one year after his arrest, Istanbul’s former mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, clashed with the presiding judge on Monday in a chaotic start to a sweeping corruption trial involving more than 400 defendants tied to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Imamoğlu, 55, demanded permission to speak at the start of the proceedings, but the judge refused as the court began hearing procedural motions from defense lawyers representing the hundreds of suspects.
Imamoğlu is accused of leading a criminal organization for profit, involving tender-rigging and bribery. He and his main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deny the corruption charges, which carry prison sentences amounting to over 2,000 years.
After Imamoğlu was escorted into the courtroom, the court began taking procedural requests from lawyers. His attorney said the former mayor wanted to deliver a brief three- or four-paragraph greeting to supporters and colleagues present in the courtroom.
The presiding judge rejected the request, saying there was no such procedure during criminal trials.
“Does such a greeting happen in other trials? You cannot take the floor right now. You cannot simply get up and come to the podium to request to speak,” the judge said.
When Imamoğlu insisted, saying “I want to speak,” the judge responded: “You cannot. Turn off the microphone.”
Imamoğlu then walked to the podium and shouted, without a microphone, that he wanted the floor. The judge warned him that he could not continue in that manner.
The exchange prompted protests from some lawyers and spectators attending the hearing.
The court later stated that the defendant had come to the podium despite not being granted permission to speak and had continued talking despite repeated warnings. The judge cautioned that if Imamoğlu continued to disrupt court order, he could be removed from the courtroom.
The tense atmosphere escalated when one defense lawyer complained that the list of defendants scheduled to present their defense had not been formally shared with the legal teams but had instead appeared in a newspaper report.
As murmurs and protests grew among spectators, the presiding judge warned the audience.
“This trial cannot proceed with applause and slogans in the courtroom,” the judge said, adding that the gallery would be emptied if the disruptions continued.
When reactions persisted, the judge ordered gendarmerie officers to clear the courtroom. The judicial panel then left the chamber, and the hearing was adjourned until 1:30 p.m.
Prosecutors say Imamoğlu headed a criminal organization that coordinated bribery, bid-rigging and fraud schemes connected to municipal contracts, along with money laundering and other offenses.
The indictment names 407 suspects in total, including more than 100 who remain in detention and several fugitives. Prosecutors say the alleged network included senior municipal officials and business figures who worked within a structured hierarchy.
According to the indictment, the organization operated through different branches responsible for various activities linked to municipal tenders and financial transactions.
Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences ranging from 849 years to more than 2,400 years for Imamoğlu if he is convicted on all charges.
The case also includes accusations against several other municipal officials and administrators alleged to have played leadership roles within the network.
Some suspects who prosecutors describe as senior members of the organization have provided information about the group’s structure after their arrest and may be eligible for reduced sentences under provisions for cooperating defendants.
The trial, which involves hundreds of defendants and dozens of alleged offenses, is expected to continue for months as the court hears testimony and examines evidence related to one of the largest corruption investigations involving a Turkish municipality in recent years.
