Petition of objection from Ekrem İmamoğlu's lawyers regarding his detention.

In the petition submitted by their lawyers, it was requested that "Ekrem İmamoğlu's detention be lifted and he be released, and if insistence on the unlawful detention continues, the case be sent to the competent court for a review on appeal."

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM), was detained on the morning of March 19, Wednesday, as part of "corruption" and "terrorism" investigations, and was arrested by the magistrate's court to which he was referred on March 23, Sunday, upon the prosecutor's request for detention, and sent to Marmara (Silivri) Prison. It was reported that İmamoğlu's lawyers, Fikret İlkiz, Mehmet Pehlivan, Tora Pekin, and Hasan Fehmi Demir, filed an objection petition to the Istanbul 10th Magistrate's Court. In the objection petition sent by İmamoğlu's lawyers to Euronews Turkish, it was stated, "We request the decision to lift Ekrem İmamoğlu's detention and release him, and if insistence on the unlawful detention continues, the case be sent to the competent and authorized Criminal Court to be reviewed on appeal," adding that "the reasons for detention include the assertion that Ekrem İmamoğlu will 'flee and hide.' This person represents 16 million people living in Istanbul and is the strongest candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Turkey in the upcoming elections. The assertion, which even the maker does not believe, alone proves all our statements that the investigation is conducted not in accordance with legal norms but for political motives, by judges and prosecutors who have lost their independence and impartiality. It is tragic."

On the day of İmamoğlu's arrest, March 23, lawyer Fikret İlkiz stated to Euronews Turkish that the first legal step would be to "appeal the detention decision against İmamoğlu." He mentioned that they would wait for the preparation of the indictment, stating, "No one can predict how long it will take to file a case in such incidents and such cases in Turkey. It could be opened in a month or tomorrow. But the duration and discretion are directly related to the prosecutor’s office and the termination of the investigation it is conducting." Meanwhile, on the morning of March 23, the Republican People's Party (CHP) held a preliminary election to determine its candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. İmamoğlu, who entered this preliminary election as the sole candidate, became the CHP's presidential candidate on the day he was arrested.

After completing his statement procedures at Çağlayan Courthouse early on Sunday morning, March 23, İmamoğlu was referred to the court with a request for detention concerning 91 suspects, while the first detention decisions were announced early that morning. The duty magistrate ruled for the detention of 18 more individuals within the scope of the IMM investigation. Other individuals who were issued detention orders include: Murat Ongun, the Chairman of the Board of Media A.Ş. and İmamoğlu's advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Buğra Gökçe, the President of the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA), Tuncay Yılmaz, General Manager of İmamoğlu Construction, Murat Abbas, General Manager of İBB Culture A.Ş., businesspeople Ali Nuhoğlu, Adem Tuncay, Ali İlbak, and Ahmet Köksal, Eyüp Subaşı, Kamil Timur Delibaş, Mete Sarıaltun, Alper Aydın, Serdal Taşkın, Serkan Öztürk, Mustafa Nihat Sütlaş, Süleyman Atik, Ahmet Çiçek, Yusuf İlbak, and Servet Yıldırım.

Also detained was Serdar Haydanlı, a businessman mentioned in a statement made by CHP leader Özgür Özel on March 22. After staying in detention at Istanbul Police Headquarters for four days, İmamoğlu was sent to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan early on Sunday morning with a request for detention.

First Investigation: City Consensus Ahead of the local elections on March 31, 2024, the "City Consensus" announced as an election strategy by the DEM Party led to the detention of İBB Deputy Secretary General Mahir Polat, Şişli Mayor Resul Şahan, and Reform Institute President Mehmet Ali Çalışkan. In this investigation, the defendants were accused of having "hired members/sympathizers of a terrorist organization within the framework of the IMM-affiliated Istanbul Planning Agency and BIMTAŞ." A post made from the official X account of the Ministry of Interior on Sunday stated that IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu had been dismissed. Alongside İmamoğlu, Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık and Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan were also suspended from their duties. The ministry's announcement mentioned that a trustee was appointed to replace Şahan. While no mention was made of any appointments for İmamoğlu and Çalık, it was stated that Şişli District Governor Cevdet Ertürkmen was assigned as the Deputy Mayor of Şişli. After his detention, Şahan stated, "I was unlawfully and unjustly detained; my freedom was restricted without any evidence against me, but I will continue my struggle with the bond of affection I have with you."

Second Investigation: Corruption The second charges against İmamoğlu and his team are related to allegations of corruption. In the statement from the Chief Prosecutor's Office, the following accusations were included under this title: - Many individuals, including İmamoğlu, are accused of making transactions through pawn individuals to gain unfair profits by coercing businesspeople to pay money, - İmamoğlu placed individuals he worked with during his tenure as Mayor of Beylikdüzü in the IMM, - They obtained works much above their worth by submitting high-priced bids for the service procurement jobs of IMM subsidiaries such as Meyda A.Ş. and Kültür A.Ş., thereby determining the final price themselves, - Bribes were requested from many active businesses, and attempts were made to forcibly collect money from victims who refused, through decisions obtained from the Municipal Councils, - It is alleged that the organization members who won tenders from MEDYA A.Ş., KÜLTÜR AŞ., KİPTAŞ, and İSFALT either transferred the initial advance payments received from the municipality to construction sites owned by organization leader İmamoğlu. A detention order was issued for a total of 100 individuals, including İmamoğlu and Murat Ongun, who is alleged to be an organization leader, as well as Necati Özkan, Tuncay Yılmaz, Fatih Keleş, Ertan Yıldız, and 95 suspects connected to these individuals.