İmamoğlu presents claims of $2.5 billion public loss across 33 files from AKP era

Speaking at the third hearing of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality case, Ekrem İmamoğlu claimed that a total of $2.5 billion in public loss occurred across 33 files based on findings by municipal inspectors from the AKP period. İmamoğlu argued that they filed complaints with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for 64 files, forwarded 146 files to different institutions, but that the Interior Ministry seized and shelved the relevant documents.

The first example İmamoğlu presented in court involved military land in Başakşehir. For this property, which was expropriated by the IBB on October 24, 2016, $13.5 million was paid; according to municipal inspectors' findings in 2021, the value of the land was $13 million 350 thousand — approximately $2 million at the exchange rate of that time. İmamoğlu claimed the difference between the two amounts exceeded $11.5 million.

The second example was in Bahçeşehir. A private company purchased land on January 7, 2016 for 49.5 million lira and sold it to KİPTAŞ just four days later, on January 11, for 130 million lira. The 80.5 million lira difference between the two transactions corresponded to approximately $27 million at the exchange rate of that period. How such land purchases concluded during the AKP IBB administration had been discussed at the time; however, no judicial process had been completed.

İmamoğlu stated in court, "Not gossip, not rumor, but concrete evidence." The case continues to be heard in Istanbul.