İmamoğlu, who is a key opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been behind bars since March in a corruption case. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison due to charges of public insult and threats against the Istanbul prosecutor. The politician categorically denies all the allegations.
According to a report by the Associated Press, an investigation into the espionage case began last week. İmamoğlu is suspected of having connections with a businessman who was arrested in July and is believed to have had contacts with foreign intelligence services.
As reported by the Turkish state agency Anadolu, the mayor is accused of transferring information about Istanbul residents in exchange for funding his 2019 election campaign from abroad.
The allegations also involve İmamoğlu's former manager Necati Özkan and the editor-in-chief of the opposition television channel Tele 1, Merdan Yanardağ.
The channel, according to Hurriyet Daily News, has been taken over by the state, and its YouTube channel has been blocked.
İmamoğlu testified in court regarding the new case on Saturday, October 26, denying the espionage charges. "I consider espionage to be treason," he stated. "If I were really engaged in espionage, it would be as realistic as if I burned Rome."
Hundreds of his supporters gathered outside the courthouse. As noted by the Associated Press, this is the first time in the past seven months that İmamoğlu has been able to leave the prison where he is held on the outskirts of Istanbul.
It is worth recalling that İmamoğlu was detained on March 19, 2025, which sparked mass protests across Turkey. Shortly after that, he was removed from his position as mayor of Istanbul and accused of bribery. The 53-year-old İmamoğlu was considered the main rival to Erdoğan in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for 2028.
The main opposition party in Turkey, the CHP, has confirmed İmamoğlu's candidacy for the presidency in the upcoming elections.
