The father and son of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu were questioned by police on Tuesday as suspects in an expanding investigation into alleged bribery and money laundering, Turkish Minute reported.
Selim İmamoğlu and Hasan İmamoğlu gave statements at İstanbul police headquarters, according to a statement from the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Both men were accused of bribery and laundering criminal proceeds as part of the case against the opposition mayor, who was arrested in March on corruption charges.
Selim İmamoğlu, who owns a construction company in Croatia, was asked about the purpose and source of money transfers made to his firm.
He told investigators that the transfers came from family savings.
Hasan İmamoğlu also denied the accusations and said all transactions between him and his grandson were legitimate and based on family funds.
Their lawyers said some of the allegations in the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) report contained factual errors.
Hasan İmamoğlu is the owner of İmamoğlu Construction, which was put under state trusteeship in April during a bribery and bid-rigging probe targeting the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Earlier this year police reportedly searched his home in the western city of Balıkesir as part of the same investigation.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel condemned the searches, saying, “They searched with detectors and bulldozers. What did they find? Nothing. They’ve completely lost their minds.”
Ekrem İmamoğlu, the elected mayor of Turkey’s largest city and the strongest rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a potential presidential race, was arrested on March 23 and sent to Marmara Prison in Silivri.
He denies all corruption accusations.
İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek has called the case “the biggest corruption investigation in 100 years.”
CHP leader Özel also said that İmamoğlu’s wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, had her diplomatic passport revoked as she prepared to travel abroad to receive an award on her husband’s behalf.
He said the decision was politically motivated and questioned its legality, noting that İmamoğlu remains the elected mayor and has not been convicted.
