A Turkish prosecutor repeated a requirement on Friday for Istanbul’s mayor to be convicted on fees of insulting participants of Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council.
The call for used to be made throughout the 3rd listening to of a tribulation critics allege is an strive to take away a key opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from the political scene.
Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party, faces as much as 4 years in jail if discovered responsible of the price and is also barred from conserving administrative center.
Imamoglu used to be elected to steer Turkey’s biggest town in March 2019.
His win used to be a ancient blow to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, which had managed Istanbul for a quarter-century.
The birthday party driven to void the municipal election ends up in the town of 16 million, alleging irregularities.
The problem led to a repeat of the election a couple of months later. Imamoglu received once more — that point with a at ease majority.
Insult from 2019 on the centre of allegations
His trial is in accordance with accusations that he insulted participants of the electoral council when he described cancelling legit elections as “foolishness” on 4 November 2019.
The mayor denies insulting participants of the council, insisting his phrases had been a reaction to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu calling him “a fool” and accusing Imamoglu of criticizing Turkey throughout a consult with to the European Parliament.
Gulsah Ince, a reporter for Turkey’s Fox TV, testified as a defence witness throughout Friday’s listening to. She advised the courtroom that Imamoglu made the remark after she requested him to answer Soylu calling him “a fool,” the Halk TV information channel and different media reported.
A request for the courtroom to listen to two extra defence witnesses used to be rejected.
Asked to ship his ultimate argument within the trial, the prosecutor renewed his call for that Imamoglu is convicted of the price, sentenced, and barred from conserving administrative center, consistent with Halk TV.
The trial used to be then adjourned till 14 December to present Imamoglu’s legal professionals time to organize their ultimate defence arguments and for government to check their request for the panel of judges to be discharged and changed for alleged bias.
Government critics regard the trial as an try to save you the preferred mayor from operating in opposition to Erdogan in presidential and parliamentary elections these days scheduled for June 2023.
If convicted, Imamoglu may just lose his submit as mayor and get replaced via somebody just about Erdogan’s ruling birthday party.
Imamoglu, who didn’t attend the listening to, later advised journalists that he used to be “surprised” and “saddened” via the prosecutor’s request.
“I would have expected acquittal and for this trial to end today,” he mentioned.
He added: “May God protect our country and its people from harm, from people who have no conscience, no morals, no justice.”
