Turkish prosecutors have filed charges against 12 people, including İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, over alleged irregularities during the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s congress held in 2023, Turkish Minute reported.
Prosecutors are seeking prison terms of up to three years and a political ban for all accused.
The charges were filed by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and relate to the CHP 38th Ordinary Congress, held in November 2023 in Ankara. The indictment accuses the suspects of violating Article 112 of Turkey’s Political Parties Law, which criminalizes interference in internal party votes.
The 2023 congress saw the ousting of longtime party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who was replaced by Özgür Özel after a two-round leadership vote.
High-profile defendants, including İmamoğlu
İmamoğlu, a popular CHP figure and his party’s presidential candidate for the next presidential election, chaired the congress as its speaker. Prosecutors allege that he and others attempted to manipulate the outcome by offering bribes and political favors to party delegates.
Although İmamoğlu has not been convicted in this case, he has been in pretrial detention since March 23 on corruption charges. His arrest has attracted criticism from opposition figures and rights groups, who describe the charges as politically motivated.
Also named in the indictment are İzmir Mayor Cemil Tugay and jailed Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat in addition to former and current CHP officials.
Akpolat was previously suspended by the Interior Ministry in January over a separate corruption investigation initiated by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office as part of an ongoing crackdown on CHP municipalities.
Allegations of vote buying and manipulation
According to the indictment, several CHP delegates were allegedly offered cash, municipal jobs, council or mayoral candidacies and even supermarket shopping cards in exchange for voting support. Some were reportedly asked to photograph their completed ballots and send them to party officials as proof.
Prosecutors claim that İmamoğlu and his allies intentionally delayed a second round of voting and falsely announced Kılıçdaroğlu’s withdrawal to sway the election in favor of Özel, who ultimately won the leadership race.
The investigation began after a complaint was filed in Bursa in November 2023, alleging vote-buying during the congress. The case was transferred to Ankara for jurisdictional reasons in December, and a formal investigation was launched in January 2024 under the Political Parties Law.
The indictment lists Kılıçdaroğlu as a victim and former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş as a complainant. Savaş and several other delegates have also filed lawsuits seeking to annul the results of the congress. These cases were consolidated and are being reviewed by the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance.
Kılıçdaroğlu: I won’t put my party on trial
Former CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu commented publicly on the indictment for the first time on Tuesday. Speaking to journalist İsmail Küçükkaya, he said he would not participate in legal proceedings that politicize his party.
“I won’t discuss my party, the party that founded the republic, in courthouse corridors. I won’t allow it to be put on trial,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, explaining that he refused to give testimony when summoned as a witness.
The probe into the CHP congress followed remarks by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who, during a February 2024 speech to his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), described the opposition’s congress as “tainted” and claimed that Kılıçdaroğlu had been removed through a “fraudulent process.”
