“From Silivri to the Presidency”: Özgür Özel Declares İmamoğlu’s Victory in Historic IBB Trial

In a powerful display of political defiance, CHP Leader Özgür Özel held his party’s group meeting at the Silivri Prison Complex, where the high-stakes “IBB Case” is currently unfolding. Addressing the nation from the site where 106 individuals, including Istanbul Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, are currently detained, Özel framed the trial as a repeat of historical “conspiracy cases” designed to stifle political rivals.

A “Tumbledown” Indictment and the “Ghost Witness” Crisis

Özel delivered a scathing critique of the 3,900-page indictment, likening it to the discredited Ergenekon and Balyoz trials. He revealed a significant breakdown in the prosecution’s evidence involving a protected witness codenamed “Meşe” (Oak). According to Özel, after “Meşe” withdrew their statement, the prosecution allegedly “copy-pasted” the same testimony onto a new witness named “İlke.”

“They arrested Ekrem Bey and many of our friends based on the statement of a secret witness named Meşe. Now the indictment is out, and Meşe is gone. They took his exact words—even the grammatical errors—and stuck them onto a new witness called İlke. There is no law here; there is only a poorly written script.”

Özel further highlighted that despite claims of a 560 billion lira corruption scandal, investigators have failed to prove a single cent of illicit gain. He dismissed sensationalist media reports of “valises full of cash” as fabrications, noting that searched suitcases contained only electronic signal jammers used for security.

Judicial Integrity and the 40th High Criminal Court

The CHP leader also raised alarms regarding the composition of the Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court. He pointed out that the chances of the case falling to this specific court were statistically improbable—merely 2.4%—yet it landed exactly where a hand-picked panel of judges, allegedly linked to high-ranking government officials, awaited.

Özel noted that the presiding judge and his two members have a combined “decision-making experience of only 15 years,” a remarkably low figure for a case of such magnitude. He accused the panel of being a “custom design” intended to deliver a political verdict rather than a legal one.

The Road to the Presidency

Despite the 2,430-year prison sentence sought by prosecutors, Özel remains confident in a political reversal. He predicted that the “balance of justice,” which was famously restored by voters during the 2019 Istanbul election rerun, would once again tilt in favor of the opposition.

“I am giving you a ‘cap’ for two years from now,” Özel told the crowd. “Ekrem İmamoğlu will walk out of these gates and become the President of this country. He will be acquitted not just by a court, but in the conscience of the Turkish nation.”