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A Turkish prosecutor accused the jailed mayor of Istanbul of running a criminal organization and called for him to be sentenced to more than 2,000 years in prison, according to an indictment presented in court on Tuesday. The indictment accused the mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, of bribery and other crimes involving hundreds of other people that cost the Turkish state billions of dollars. The charges are a significant escalation in a case that Turkey’s opposition has dismissed as a political hit job aimed at removing the top rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from politics. Mr. Imamoglu did not immediately respond to the indictment. He previously denied corruption accusations against him and described them as politically motivated. “This case is not legal, but entirely political,” Ozgur Ozel, the head of Turkey’s main opposition party, said on social media after the charges were announced. He called the case and other legal actions against Mr. Imamoglu this year a “civilian coup” aimed at hobbling the opposition’s ability to challenge Mr. Erdogan. It was unclear when Mr. Imamoglu would be put on trial. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
