Shock in Turkey - Prosecutor proposes 2,000-year sentence for Imamoglu - Erdogan without an opponent in the next election

A Turkish prosecutor proposed a prison sentence of over 2,000 years for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is allegedly involved in a corruption case. Furthermore, this case increases the chances that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's strongest opponent will be excluded from the next presidential election.
The 3,900-page indictment names 402 suspects and describes Imamoglu—the most prominent opposition figure—as the "founder and leader of a criminal organization." The charges include bribery and accepting bribes.
Turkish stocks plummeted after the news, with the main index of the Istanbul stock exchange dropping by 3.1% at 3:41 p.m. local time, heading for its largest daily decline since early September.

Cumulative sentences up to 2,352 years in prison

Imamoglu faces cumulative sentences ranging from 828 to 2,352 years in prison. He had earlier denied any wrongdoing, calling the case a "clear attempt" to impede his presidential candidacy. His arrest in March drew strong criticism from international human rights organizations and democracy watchdogs, and led to a market collapse that forced authorities to spend over $50 billion from the central bank's reserves to defend the lira.
Imamoglu's popularity surged when he defeated Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul in 2019, marking the president's first major electoral defeat in over two decades. Since then, he has become the face of the opposition and the target of multiple legal prosecutions. His legal troubles intensified when the University of Istanbul retroactively revoked his degree in March, stripping him of the necessary qualifications to run for the presidency. In August, he stated that he would consider supporting another candidate if he was barred from the elections, indicating that he is preparing for a long legal battle.
Opposition parties and municipalities have also come under close scrutiny, with hundreds of officials arrested in corruption probes following the opposition's successes in the 2024 municipal elections.

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