The ex-mayor of Istanbul is poised to become the central defendant in a large-scale corruption trial that his political allies and human rights organizations claim is politically motivated.
The 55-year-old politician, is confronted with more than 140 counts including graft and running a criminal enterprise. State attorneys are seeking a prison sentence that could reach 2,430 years.
He and his Republican People's Party (CHP) deny all misconduct. They allege Turkish President Reecep Tayyip Erdogan and his supporters of initiating a crackdown over the leader's drop in popularity.
Before the court case, which begins on Monday, Imamoglu was widely seen as one of the rare politicians with the potential of beating Erdogan, who has been at the top of Turkish politics since 2003.
Imamoglu adopted a resolute stance in the lead-up to the trial, in remarks given to a news agency recently, urging the president to hold elections immediately.
Another four hundred and seven of the mayor's followers have additionally been charged, alleged of running a criminal corruption network led by the opposition figure, whom prosecutors label as its "founder and leader".
The ex-city leader was arrested in March the previous year on the very day he was appointed as the head of the CHP and its nominee for president for 2028. He has been detained at the a prison facility ever since, where his trial are due to take place.
His arrest triggered the country's biggest public demonstrations in more than a decade, followed by numerous arrests and a security force response.
Wide Array of Further Allegations
Apart from the graft trial, authorities have charged him of a host of other offences including spying and falsifying his academic qualification, a requirement he would need to become president and which has since been annulled.
Officials in Turkey reject that the judiciary is being used as a political tool.
But the case has been widely condemned by rights groups.
"The trial of Mayor the opposition leader follows over a year of weaponising the legal system against his party and other party members while he sits in jail," stated a deputy director at a major rights organization last week.
"Examining these cases as a whole, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that the state are trying to remove Imamoglu from politics and discredit his party in ways that undermine democracy."
Another international rights group described the allegations brought against the former mayor "absurd".
"This partisan prosecution, which is based almost entirely on secret witness testimony, is riddled with serious international fair trial and rule of law problems," remarked a representative for the organization on Friday.
Government Stance and Electoral Context
The national administration has maintained that the courts function without interference.
"I simply did my duty as a public prosecutor. My mind is clean," told reporters the justice minister, who was the former chief prosecutor in the matter.
Imamoglu was first elected as Istanbul's mayor in 2019 and was re-elected in April 2024, beating the governing party candidate by nearly a million votes.
His win stunned the president and his party, with many political commentators in Turkey labeling it as the president's "worst defeat ever".
