Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has denied terrorism charges against him, according to a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday, following his arrest on March 19 on suspected corruption and terrorism charges.
"I see today during the interrogation that I and my colleagues are facing unimaginable accusations and slander," Imamoglu said during interrogation at the police's anti-terrorism department, according to the document in question.
Imamoglu is a prominent opposition figure and was predicted to be a potential challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the upcoming elections, so he indirectly addressed the latter in his statement to investigators.
"These slanders will come back after hitting the wall in the heart of our nation. It is imperative that our country gets rid of this mentality as soon as possible, he [someone] thinks he has the right to do anything to defend [his] position," Imamoglu says, in a reference to Erdogan.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued today by the Istanbul municipality, which was distributed when Imamoglu arrived together with 89 co-defendants, who were traveling in 14 vans to the court, it condemned his arrest.
"The unethical and baseless allegations against me, from fabricated reports to the timing of investigations, are intended to undermine my reputation and credibility," the mayor said, according to the statement. (A2 Televizion)
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