In Turkey, nearly eight months after his imprisonment, Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival, faces very serious charges. The Istanbul prosecutor's office published its indictment on Tuesday, November 11, against the ousted mayor of Istanbul and the opposition CHP's (Republican People's Party) designated candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The opposition figure will have to appear in court, along with some 400 others, on suspicion of financial crimes, which his party denounces as fabricated.

This is an indictment the likes of which the Turkish justice system has rarely seen, reports our correspondent in Ankara, Anna Andlauer. 402 defendants, 105 of whom are in custody, and at the very top of the list, as the prime suspect, is Ekrem Imamoglu. The mayor of Istanbul, removed from office and imprisoned since March, is presented as the founder and head of a "profit-driven criminal organization."

The indictment, which is more than 3,700 pages long, lists 142 offenses, including "active" and "passive" corruption, "extortion", "bid fraud", "fraud against public institutions and bodies" and "money laundering".

The prosecution is seeking between 828 and 2352 years in prison.

The prosecution is demanding that Ekrem Imamoglu be prosecuted on each of these 142 charges and is seeking a prison sentence of between 828 and 2,352 years. "What happened today is a blatant case of judicial interference in politics," wrote Özgür Özel, head of the Republican People's Party, adding that the judiciary is trying to "obstruct" Ekrem Imamoglu's presidential candidacy.