Ankara - Saba:
A Turkish criminal court ordered the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Sunday morning, pending investigation into allegations of corruption related to the municipality. The atmosphere at the courthouse, which began yesterday, was marked by significant tension due to the influx of protesters.
According to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, police referred İmamoğlu and several other suspects to court after taking their statements. The Magistrates' Court ordered İmamoğlu's detention pending investigation.
In the second case, related to violations in the context of city tenders, İmamoğlu was released on bail. This removed the possibility of appointing an external guardian from the state to the Istanbul Municipality.
Prosecutors brought İmamoğlu to court earlier this morning to request his arrest on charges of "corruption" and "terrorism."
Earlier, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced the arrest of opposition politician İmamoğlu on charges of his association with an organization involved in corruption, bribery, and promoting terrorist activities.
İmamoğlu denied the charges during questioning, while the Turkish Public Prosecutor's Office requested the court take the precautionary measure of arrest.
Russia's Sputnik news agency quoted its correspondent there as saying that police closed off central Ankara streets on Saturday evening due to an influx of demonstrators supporting the detained mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced last Wednesday that İmamoğlu had been arrested in connection with an organization involved in corruption, bribery, and supporting terrorist activities.
The opposition politician asserted that he "does not intend to surrender" under pressure from the authorities, while the arrest sparked mass protests.
The opposition politician gave a five-hour testimony on Saturday at the Çağlayan Courthouse. According to the Haber TV channel, he denied the accusations of links to terrorist organizations and criticized the manner of his arrest.
Coinciding with these events, preliminary voting for the Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate in the upcoming presidential elections began Sunday morning.
Previously, İmamoğlu had to be announced as a candidate before his arrest. Voting is currently underway at 5,600 polling stations across Turkey, with over a million people expected to attend.
Özgür Özel, the leader of the CHP, Turkey's largest opposition party, confirmed this to the mayor of Istanbul on Wednesday, when he selected İmamoğlu as the party's main candidate in the election.
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