ISTANBUL: Istanbul’s jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu went on trial Monday in a sprawling corruption case critics say is a politically motivated bid to scupper his chances of challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Arrested last year on March 19 and jailed ever since, Imamoglu is to appear at Silivri court for the opening of a sweeping graft case in which prosecutors want him jailed for 2,430 years.
Applause erupted as Imamoglu and scores of other defendants entered the packed courtroom, as spectators shouted: “We are proud of you!” according to journalists tweeting from the scene.
Imamoglu was jailed on the day he was named the presidential candidate of the main opposition CHP. He is widely seen as one of the only politicians capable of defeating Erdogan at the ballot box in elections due before mid-2028.
Prosecutors have charged the 54-year-old with 142 offenses, ranging from graft to embezzlement and espionage, alongside more than 400 other defendants, in an indictment that runs nearly 4,000 pages.
