Turkish prosecutor seeks 2,352-year term for jailed opposition mayor Imamoglu

A Turkish prosecutor demanded on Tuesday a prison sentence of more than 2,000 years for Ekrem Imamoglu, the jailed opposition mayor of Istanbul, for allegedly leading a vast corruption network that cost the state billions of lira, according to an indictment seen by Reuters.

Imamoglu, who is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, has previously denied all the accusations against him, saying they are politically motivated. His party on Tuesday rejected the latest charges as “nonsense”.

In a separate move that also deepened an unprecedented year-long legal crackdown on Erdogan’s critics, the Istanbul prosecutor asked a higher court to consider shutting down Imamoglu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).