Istanbul mayor given fresh prison term for ‘insulting’ official

The main rival of Turkey’s president, he has been in jail since March on separate charges

A court has sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival of Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, to a fresh prison term, the country’s state broadcaster TRT has reported.

Mr Imamoglu has been in jail, pending trial, since March over separate corruption charges.

He was sentenced on Wednesday in Istanbul to one year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening the chief prosecutor of the city.

The new sentence must be confirmed by two appeals courts.

This is the second time that Mr Imamoglu has been convicted of insulting public officials.

In 2022, he was sentenced to two years and six months in jail for criticising election board officials over a decision to cancel 2019 Istanbul elections, in which he defeated the ruling AK Party candidate.

Ekrem Imamoglu outside the courthouse in Istanbul (AP)

He has appealed that sentence, but it has not yet been reviewed.

Mr Imamoglu denies the charges.

"I've been fighting against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool. This is indeed an insult against our nation," he was quoted as saying by broadcaster Halk TV and other Turkish media.

The 2022 conviction, if upheld, could prevent him from participating in future elections. Istanbul University in March annulled Imamoglu's university diploma, without which he cannot stand as a candidate for president.

Since October 2024, police have detained more than 500 people, over 200 of whom were then jailed pending trial, under investigations into municipalities run by the main opposition CHP, Mr Imamoglu's party.

The CHP denies corruption allegations and calls them a politicised attempt by the government to remove electoral threats against Mr Erdogan, a charge the government rejects.

Wednesday's hearing was held inside a courthouse-prison complex in Istanbul's Silivri district, a site often used for high-profile and politically sensitive trials and where Mr Imamoglu is currently being held.