A Turkish court has issued an arrest warrant for jailed Constantinople mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on charges of “political espionage,” Anadolu news agency reported today.

Imamoglu, the biggest political rival of Turkish President Erdogan, has been in jail since March awaiting trial on “corruption” charges. In July, he was given a new prison sentence for insulting and threatening the Constantinople prosecutor.

Imamoglu denies all charges.

This new “espionage” investigation also targets Imamoglu’s 2019 and 2024 campaign manager, Neceti Ezkan, and Tele1 network director Merdan Yanardag.

As part of that investigation, Imamoglu is accused of fraud during fundraising for his presidential campaign and espionage to secure international support, the Turkish news agency noted.

Anadolu reported that an Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant overnight against Imamoglu as well as two others, including Yanardag.

On Friday, the Turkish government took control of Tele1, citing allegations of espionage.

Hundreds of officials and elected officials of Imamoglu’s opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP) are in jail following a string of prosecutions, the main charge being that of corruption.

The CHP denies these charges, calling them an attempt by the government to remove Erdogan’s political opponents and weaken the party.