Turkish Justice Ministry: "Seeking link between Istanbul mayor's arrest and Erdogan Is impudence"

The statements that the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is connected to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are impudent. This was stated by the country's Minister of Justice Yilmaz Tunc.

"To connect investigations and cases initiated by the court with our president is, to put it mildly, impudent and ignorance of boundaries," he said at a press conference.

"The judiciary does not receive orders or instructions from anyone; it is neutral and independent, the head of the Ministry of Justice emphasized. He also added that Turkey is a state governed by the rule of law, where the presumption of innocence and the right to an unblemished reputation are the main principles of justice.

Ekrem Imamoglu is one of the leaders of the oppositional Republican People's Party (the second largest party in the Turkish parliament), and is called Erdogan's main opponent.

On March 19, the mayor of Istanbul was detained and taken to court under police escort. About 100 other people, including high-ranking officials of the Istanbul administration, were also detained.

Imamoglu is suspected of involvement in terrorism, corruption and money laundering.