Dilek Bozkurt/HALKWEB Justice Minister Akın Gürlek responded harshly to the criticisms of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the suspended and arrested IBB Mayor, against him. Emphasizing that the evidence in İmamoğlu's file is concrete, Gürlek said, “I only did my duty as a prosecutor, we have no business with names.”.
Justice Minister Akın Gürlek met with members of the press in Ankara and discussed the corruption case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the detained Ekrem İmamoğlu. Gürlek targeted İmamoğlu's harsh criticisms against him and argued that the judicial process is carried out away from personal polemics.
”We closed the names and looked at the file”
Stating that İmamoğlu's statements do not carry any importance for him, Minister Gürlek claimed that they acted impartially during the investigation process. Stating that the duty of a public prosecutor is not to be interested in office or position, Gürlek used the following expressions:
”Is there a crime or not? We look at that. Whether a person is a mayor, an artist or rich or poor does not bind the prosecutor. We made an examination by closing the names on the file. Our friends who prepared the indictment also acted with this meticulousness. Whether the name is Ekrem or something else does not concern us.”
”Evidence is Concrete, Decision is Reviewable”
Claiming that the accusations in the İmamoğlu case were supported by concrete data such as MASAK reports, money movements and HTS records, Minister Gürlek closed the door to criticism by saying, “I am conscientiously comfortable.” Reminding that the legal system has a control mechanism within itself, Gürlek said, “Every decision can be reviewed by higher courts. We are not concerned with individuals, but with the file in front of us.”.
Critical Appointment on Monday
Reminding that the IBB trial will start next Monday, the Minister of Justice stated that the panel that will hear the case has been assigned only for this case and consists of experts in their fields. He stated that the judiciary will have the last word after the defenses are taken and the evidence is discussed.