Turkey demands more than 2,000 years' jail for popular Istanbul mayor Imamoglu

Istanbul's chief prosecutor accuses Ekrem Imamoglu and 400 others of running a corruption network.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationWatch DocumentariesTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthWatch DocumentariesNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveTurkey demands more than 2,000 years in jail for popular Istanbul mayor36 minutes agoShareSavePaul KirbyEurope digital editorShareSaveReutersEkrem Imamoglu has been in pre-trial detention in a jail on the outskirts of Istanbul since MarchThe prosecutor in Turkey's biggest city has accused popular mayor Ekrem Imamoglu of 142 corruption offences that command jail terms ranging from 828 to 2,352 years.

Imamoglu, considered the main political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been in pre-trial custody since March on suspicion of corruption.

The Istanbul mayor and his opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deny any wrongdoing and accuse the president and his allies of launching a crackdown in response to Erdogan's decline in popularity.

However, the city's chief prosecutor has targeted not just Imamoglu but 401 others, with allegations of running a criminal corruption network with the mayor as its "founder and leader".

After an eight-month inquiry, prosecutor Akin Gürlek said the suspects, of whom 105 were in detention, had formed an enormous criminal organisation that had been engaged in taking and receiving bribes as well as money laundering.