Erdoğan accuses opposition of obstructing investigation against arrested Istanbul mayor

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is obstructing the investigation against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and has turned into a marginal organization through its street terrorism policies.

The president made this statement during a meeting with the heads of regional branches of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

"There is competition in politics, not enmity... There is no place for street terror and vandalism in politics. The CHP behaves like a marginal organization," Erdoğan said.

According to Erdoğan, opposition leader Özgür Özel is hindering the corruption investigation instead of facilitating it and "attempting to cover up criminal organizations that have settled in Istanbul."

The Turkish president also claimed that the opposition's attempts to gain support from the West in the "İmamoğlu case" have failed.

​Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul and a prominent opposition figure, was arrested on March 19, 2025, on charges including corruption, bribery, and alleged links to terrorist organizations. Prosecutors accuse İmamoğlu of leading a criminal organization involved in systematic fraud, bid-rigging, embezzlement, and bribery. He is also alleged to have formed an alliance with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during the Istanbul municipal elections. ​

By Khagan Isayev