An İstanbul court on Thursday ordered the release of nine defendants in a corruption trial involving jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and more than 400 others, reducing the number of defendants in pretrial detention to 68.
The ruling came during the 41st hearing of the case, in which 407 people are being tried over corruption allegations involving the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
Those released include Cevat Kaya, the brother of İmamoğlu’s wife, Dilek İmamoğlu; Ahmet Şahin, deputy mayor of Büyükçekmece; Engin Ulusoy, a former head of the municipality’s police department; and several İstanbul Municipality and main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) officials.
Several members of Dilek İmamoğlu’s family have been arrested during the investigation, including her brother Cevat Kaya, who was released Thursday, and another brother, Ali Kaya, who is still in pretrial detention.
The court said the next review of the defendants’ pretrial detention would be held on June 18.
Speaking to journalist Hilmi Hacaloğlu after the hearing, Dilek İmamoğlu said she was happy about the release of her brother, Cevat Kaya.
“Of course I’m happy. My father will be the happiest. This holiday will really be a holiday for my father,” she said, referring to the upcoming Eid-al-Adha holiday.
The latest releases follow previous court decisions freeing some defendants in the case. Fifteen people were released after a detention review on April 30, while 18 others were released at an April 2 hearing.
In a separate development on Thursday, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office froze the bank accounts and safe deposit boxes of 18 people, including İmamoğlu’s son, Mehmet Selim İmamoğlu, and İstanbul Municipality Sports Club President Fatih Keleş, as part of a separate investigation, according to Turkish media reports.
The move came amid the continuing expansion of investigations targeting İstanbul municipal officials, their relatives and figures linked to the municipality.
The investigation began with detentions on March 19, 2025. The first hearing after the indictment was accepted was held on March 9.
The hearings are being held at the courthouse inside the Marmara Prison complex in Silivri, İstanbul’s most remote district, about 70 kilometers from the city center, under heavy security with gendarmes, barricades and identity checks at multiple entry points.
İmamoğlu, the elected mayor of İstanbul and Erdoğan’s main political rival, has been held in pretrial detention for more than a year. Prosecutors accuse him of leading a criminal network, describing him in the indictment as the “founder and leader of the organization.”
He faces 142 charges and could receive up to 2,430 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
İmamoğlu denies all accusations. The CHP says the case is politically motivated and aimed at preventing him from challenging Erdoğan in Turkey’s next presidential election, scheduled for 2028.