Constantinople mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is facing a new prosecution, as the city prosecutor‘s office filed an indictment against him, proposing a prison sentence of 2 to 4 years for attempting to influence an expert witness. At the same time, he is also seeking disqualification from active politics.

The indictment relates to statements Imamoglu made at a press conference on January 27, where he named expert witness S.V., who was involved in judicial investigations into corruption cases involving municipal enterprises. Imamoglu claimed that the expert had been deliberately chosen to incriminate himself and the municipality’s administration, triggering a prosecutorial investigation.

According to the indictment, the mayor’s statements were followed by a smear campaign against the expert on social media and media outlets. He denied any involvement in irregularities and stressed that he has served as an expert in cases of other political parties besides the Republican People’s Party (CHP), to which Imamoglu belongs.

Prosecutors accuse him of attempting to create doubts about the impartiality of the judiciary and the expert by influencing the investigation process. The court is now asked to decide whether to proceed with the case and set a trial date.

In a separate indictment, the prosecution is seeking prison sentences of up to 14 years for five employees of opposition TV station Halk TV, who allegedly illegally recorded a telephone conversation of S.V. and published what was said without his consent.

The prosecution of Imamoglu intensifies the political debate in Turkey. The CHP accuses the prosecutor of working for the benefit of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and stresses that the prosecutions against the mayor and other party officials are politically motivated.