Imamoğlu Faces 2,352 Years in Prison; Indictment Hints at CHP Closure Motion
Istanbul Chief Prosecutor filed a 3,900-page indictment against Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu seeking up to 2,352 years in prison, while also recommending the Supreme Court consider legal action against the CHP.
Editor
WISE NEWS PRESS / ISTANBUL, TURKEY — Nov. 12, 2025
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the completion of the long-awaited indictment targeting the alleged "İmamoğlu Criminal Organization," seeking a prison sentence of up to 2,352 years for the detained Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The approximately 4,000-page indictment, released today, names 402 suspects, including 105 who are currently detained. The prosecution alleges that Ekrem İmamoğlu led the purported crime organization, with figures like Murat Ongun, Ertan Yıldız, and Fatih Keleş named as organization executives.
Imamoğlu, who has been detained in Marmara Prison in Silivri since his arrest on March 19th, is held responsible for 142 separate actions and faces a prison sentence ranging from 828 to 2,352 years. Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek stated that the hearings for the case would take place in Silivri.
Prosecution: 'Like the Arms of an Octopus'
In the opening paragraph of the indictment, the prosecution claimed that the alleged criminal organization's activities, conducted during İmamoğlu's tenure as İBB Mayor, spread across Istanbul "just like the arms of an octopus."
This phrase echoes a statement made in May by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who, while commenting on operations against CHP municipalities, used the same "octopus" analogy, stating that "the arms of the octopus extending from Istanbul to Turkey and abroad are being exposed one by one."
Indictment Mentions Action Against CHP
A particularly explosive detail in the indictment is the request made by the prosecution for the country's highest court to assess the possibility of banning the main opposition party. Page 258 of the indictment states:
"Since the election ballot data was allegedly disseminated improperly from the legal entity of the Republican People's Party (CHP), the matter will be sent to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Supreme Court of Appeals for action under Articles 68–69 of the Constitution and Law No. 2820 on Political Parties."
Article 69 of the Turkish Constitution regulates the closure of political parties. While the prosecutor's office clarified in a statement that they have not formally requested the closure of the CHP, they confirmed that they made a notification to the Supreme Court Prosecutor, which acts as a tip-off (ihbar) regarding potential grounds for closure. The notification is for the Supreme Court Prosecutor to "decide on whether to file a case" with the Constitutional Court for closure.
The reference to Article 68, paragraph four, states that a party's actions cannot be contrary to the independence of the state, its indivisible integrity, human rights, or the principles of a democratic and secular republic, nor can they incite the commission of a crime.
