Prosecutors in İstanbul have drafted an indictment seeking up to 35 years in prison for jailed Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, a member of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkish Minute reported.
The prosecution has also asked that his case be merged with a sprawling İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality trial centered on jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
The indictment was sent to the İstanbul 40th High Criminal Court, which is already hearing the municipality case.
Also named as defendants in the indictment are Güney’s chief of staff Seyhan Özcan, his sister Sabriye Akkaya, his brother-in-law İsmail Akkaya, his driver Deniz Göleli and his bodyguard Veysel Eren Güven. Prosecutors are seeking sentences ranging from more than 12 years to 35 years on charges including aiding a criminal organization without being a member of it and defrauding public institutions and organizations, according to Turkish media reports.
Prosecutors tied Güney’s file to the larger case against İmamoğlu and other municipal officials by repeating claims that a profit-driven criminal structure operated through opposition-run municipalities and public tenders. The indictment describes İmamoğlu as the alleged leader of the structure and Murat Ongun, a close aide to him, as one of its key figures.
Güney has been in pretrial detention for about seven months. He was detained in August 2025 along with dozens of others in a corruption investigation targeting the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality. At the time, 44 people were detained and 17, including Güney, were later jailed pending trial.
The move comes as the broader case against İmamoğlu, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, is already under way, with the trial involving more than 400 defendants linked to the municipality. Opposition figures, rights groups and various foreign officials have described the proceedings as political.
Güney’s indictment also drew attention to what critics described as weak evidentiary language in parts of the file, with many witnesses basing their testimony on hearsay. The indictment did not include a direct accusation against one of the defendants beyond identifying him as Güney’s bodyguard.
