Imamoğlu: Melih Geçek gave statement in the morning, was arrested in the evening on the same day

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu completed the fourth day of his defense at the 101st hearing on October 17; his defense is expected to conclude today.

Imamoğlu stated that İSTTELKOM's former General Manager Melih Geçek was called to testify via SEGBİS on the day of the hearing in the morning, and was told he would return in 15 days and could attend the hearings. However, as soon as Geçek returned to prison, he was placed back on SEGBİS and arrested.

"In the statement taken in the morning, there is no referral to the court regarding Melih, nothing at all," said Imamoğlu, arguing to the court panel that the trial was being interfered with from outside.

The case encompasses 436 defendants, 53 of them in custody, including Imamoğlu. Imamoğlu, who has been in custody since March 23, 2024, faces sentences ranging from 849 years to 2,430 years and six months in the initial indictment, and from 62 years to 168 years in the supplementary indictment related to Ağaç A.Ş. The charges include organizing a criminal enterprise, bribery, bid rigging, and fraud against a public institution.

The initial indictment was accepted at the beginning of 2025; at that time the number of defendants was 391, showing that this case has expanded with each new indictment. Diken and Bianet reported the news.