Supporters of the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, said that corruption charges against him were a ploy to hobble the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Reporting from Istanbul
The mayor of Istanbul was jailed pending his trial on corruption charges and removed from office on Sunday, hobbling a potential contender in Turkey’s next presidential election and the top rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested at his home on Wednesday, four days before he was set to be named the presidential candidate of Turkey’s political opposition. He has denied the accusations against him, which Mr. Erdogan’s opponents have called a ploy to hinder a popular politician’s presidential bid.
The court ordered that Mr. Imamoglu be jailed on accusations of corruption pending a trial. State prosecutors have accused him of leading a criminal organization and overseeing bribery, bid rigging and other financial misdeeds at City Hall.
Prosecutors also accused him of supporting terrorism through his political coordination with a pro-Kurdish group during local elections last year. The court chose not to order his detention on those charges, but said the issue remains under investigation.
On Sunday afternoon, the Interior Ministry removed Mr. Imamoglu from office.
Protesters turned out for demonstrations late Sunday in support of Mr. Imamolgu in Turkey’s largest cities. Many thousands of people gathered in front of City Hall in Istanbul carrying Turkish flags and hand written placards making fun of Mr. Erdogan or calling for justice.
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