İmamoğlu Slams 110 Billion Lira Claim as Fabrication

The legal proceedings involving Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu have shifted focus to the allegations at the Cebeci Mine Site. During the hearing, weighbridge supervisor Volkan Ateş testified that illegal dumping at the site is technically impossible due to stringent digital tracking systems.

Mayor İmamoğlu strongly refuted claims of a 110 billion lira public loss, labeling the figures a complete fabrication. He formally requested that the court summon officials from the Ministry of Environment, MAPEG, and former governors to testify, arguing that the judicial process cannot be completed without acknowledging the oversight by these state institutions.

Supervisor Testimony: Digital Security Prevents Illegal Dumping

The defense focused heavily on the logistical impossibility of the crimes alleged in the İBB Case. Volkan Ateş, who managed the site’s entry points, explained that every vehicle is recorded via a 24-hour camera system and unique barcodes.

“My responsibility ends once the vehicle passes the scale, but the system captures the plate, the material type, and the weight,” Ateş stated.

He emphasized that the site was subject to monthly inspections by MAPEG and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, making systemic illegal activity highly improbable under such high-level state surveillance.

Exposing the Disparity in Financial Corruption Allegations

The core of the dispute involves a significant discrepancy between company records and weighbridge data from 2020 to 2025. Defense attorneys clarified that the reported tonnage differences were not the result of corruption but stemmed from free waste acceptance for public institutions.

Agencies such as the Sultangazi and Eyüpsultan municipalities regularly used the site for official projects at no charge. İmamoğlu criticized the prosecution’s shifting numbers, noting that an initial claim of 560 billion liras was reduced to 160 billion in the indictment.

He argued that the Turkish judicial system is being utilized to host a “fictional calculation” intended to discredit the municipality’s administration.

source: karar