İmamoğlu to be suspended if his sentence upheld: Minister

ISTANBUL

If the prison sentence given to Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is upheld, a trustee will not be appointed to the municipality, but he will be suspended, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has said.

“This decision is correct in terms of positive law,” Soylu said in an interview broadcast live on CNN TÜRK and slammed the massive rally organized by the six-party opposition group, dubbed the Nation Alliance, to lend support to the mayor.

When asked whether a trustee will be appointed to the municipality after the decision, the minister reminded that the constitution gives him the authority to appoint a trustee only for terrorism crimes.

Soylu said that such a situation is not in question since the trial was made for the crime of “insult.”

However, İmamoğlu will be suspended if the appeal court and the supreme court approve, Soylu said. “All of our practices until today are like this. With the decision of the supreme court, he becomes incapable of performing public office.”

An Istanbul court sentenced İmamoğlu to more than two-and-half years in prison on charges of insulting members of Türkiye’s Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) and imposed a political ban that could lead to his removal from office.

On previous hearings, the mayor denied insulting members of the council, insisting his words were “a response to Soylu” calling him “a fool” and accusing him of criticizing Türkiye during his visit to the European Parliament after the cancellation of the local elections on March 31, 2019.

İmamoğlu’s reply to Soylu was: “When we look at where we fall in the eyes of Europe and the world, those who canceled the election are fools.”

After nationwide local polls and İmamoğlu getting his first certificate of election, the YSK canceled the results, citing irregularities and illegalities.

Then in a June 23 do-over poll, İmamoğlu won 54.21 percent of the votes, leading the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) candidate Binali Yıldırım to concede the race.