CHP chair defends Imamoglu over tender probe at Istanbul municipality

Türkiye’s main opposition party Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Ozgur Ozel said, “Mr. Ekrem has no signature on any of these tenders. Normally, mayors cannot be held responsible for any tender on which they have not signed or for which they are not authorized.”

Ozel held a press conference at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) building in Sarachane, where he has been for four days following the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu within the scope of investigations targeting the IBB.

‘Sarachane as a symbol of Istanbul’s political will’

Stating that Sarachane is a symbolic location for Istanbul, Ozel said, “We have been in Sarachane from the very first moment. We are at this symbolic place of the IBB and Istanbul. The will of Istanbulites, through local elections, is entrusted to whomever they want to govern the city, and that trust is received and handed over in Saraçhane. During the July 15 coup attempt, those who tried to seize the IBB also headed toward Sarachane.”

Ozel said that Imamoglu received public support three times in the 2019 local elections, and added, “That is why he is Istanbul’s last elected mayor, and in the last three elections—one of which was repeated because of indigestion, telling the people of Istanbul ‘Yes, you made this decision but I don’t recognize it, think again’—Istanbulites went to the polls three times, drew the curtain, put their hands on their hearts, and stamped Ekrem Imamoglu’s name. They said, ‘We want you to run this city.’”

‘Imamoglu backed by voters in 3 elections’

Stating that there are winners and losers in Turkish politics, Ozel said, “Mr. Tayyip lost in the Beyoglu mayoral race, he lost in his parliamentary candidacy. But since founding his party, he has beaten us. And we beat him on March 31. There are winners, and there are losers. The only one who hasn’t lost so far is Ekrem Imamoglu. In every election he entered, he beat Mr. Tayyip and his appointees. Now they are attacking Ekrem Imamoglu, trying to break the unbending wrist with the stick of the judiciary.”

Arguing that there is an unjust and unlawful situation, Ozel stated that he wanted to speak without violating the confidentiality of the ongoing investigation, which has a secrecy order:

“Currently, 106 people are in custody. During Ekrem President’s testimony, he was asked, ‘Do you know this person?’—referring to those detained. We and our colleagues are also asking each other, ‘Who is this? Where did this name come from?’ There are people we don’t even know. Now we understand what’s happening. I will explain everything in detail. The names of employees from IBB-affiliated companies, those who won tenders, and officials overseeing those tenders were all gathered and taken from their homes.”

Ozel questions scope and method of investigation

Criticizing the method of the investigation, Ozel said, “If you proceed with this method, for example, by adding four more company names, you can launch operations on 100 more people tomorrow. If you go to X municipality with this method, you can also detain 150 people at the crack of dawn there. There’s no limit. Because those who signed while awarding the tender, all the executives of the company that won the tender – that’s our list, friends.”

Adding that Imamoglu has no connection with the tenders, Ozel said: “The 106-person criminal organization is nothing more than a simplistic definition. Mr. Ekrem has no signature on any of these tenders. Normally, mayors cannot be held responsible for any tender on which they have not signed or for which they are not authorized. If you hold them responsible, no mayor in Türkiye can continue in their position. Because someone will object to every tender, an investigation will be launched. You’d be there every day. Right now, there are 325 inspectors and auditors working at the IBB simultaneously. If the mayor answered every single question, who would get the job done? One mayor wouldn’t be enough just for those inspectors.”

Speaking about the situation of some detainees, Özel said: “Among these 106 people, for example, there’s a case like this: A company that won a tender needed seven people to establish the business. The owner listed his son and brother-in-law—they were taken too. Right now, there are innocent people inside who don’t even know why they are there. When asked, ‘What does your brother-in-law do?’ one responds, ‘I guess he’s into advertising, he does some stuff.’

Some poor kids are saying, ‘My dad just hands out advertisements, I don’t even know who IBB works with.’ Twenty-two-year-old university students— all rounded up. Now, how will they be charged? There’s not a single piece of evidence, for God’s sake. You’ll see, this is all just for show. The only thing they have is a secret witness to make the process look suspicious.”

Ozel said the statements of the secret witness must be supported by concrete evidence and seriously examined.

Stating that among the accusations directed at IBB were claims of “perception operations,” Ozel said such accusations must be backed by tangible evidence.

Ozel criticizes media coverage and perception management

Ozel also claimed that some media outlets failed to report on the process and did not convey it to their audience, while also neglecting to cover the protests held, and added:

“I’m calling out to mainstream media. 70% of CHP voters watch you. You pretend to balance things out by putting two commentators on air. In this investigation, you blame us for everything, even though nothing has happened yet. I’m speaking to those who broadcast penguins during Gezi and then repented the next day. I’m speaking to those who ignored a night rally where the police said there were 220,000, the eye saw 500,000, and the drone recorded 1 million. 70% of your viewers are those who vote for us. If I consume your other companies’ products, if I make people watch your ads, I’m dishonorable.”