‘Canal İstanbul’ investigation against İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu

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İYİ Party Chair Meral Akşener has announced that İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is currently facing an administrative investigation over his objection to the Canal İstanbul project.

Speaking at the morning news bulletin of Fox TV today (November 16), Akşener said, "I listened to the statements of Mr. [Justice Minister] Abdulhamit Gül, I hope that he will do what he said. But, an investigation has been launched against Mr. İmamoğlu for resisting the state over his objection to Canal İstanbul. The investigation is about this: He is accused of doing separatism because he objects to a project of the state."

Later in the morning, Spokesperson of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İMM) Murat Ongun confirmed the issue in a series of tweets.

"The statement made by İYİ Party Chair Ms. Meral Akşener about the Canal İstanbul investigation against our İMM Mayor Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu is true," Ongun said and shared the following information:

"We have been notified that the Ministry of Interior Civil Inspectorship has launched an investigation against Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu over the banners of 'Either Canal or İstanbul' and 'Who Needs Canal İstanbul'.

"As part of this inquiry, he has been requested to submit a written statement about the banners within 7 days relying on the Articles 104, 123 and 127 of the Constitution that 'deem it impossible to oppose the principle of the integrity of the administration and state policy by using public funds'."

İYİ Parti Genel Başkanı Sayın @meral_aksener’in bugün FOX TV’de yaptığı, İBB Başkanımız Sayın Ekrem İmamoğlu hakkında açılan Kanal İstanbul soruşturması açıklaması doğrudur.

— Murat Ongun (@Mrt_Ongun) November 16, 2020

İmamoğlu is against the Canal İstanbul project

Ekrem İmamoğlu, who was a joint mayor candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the İYİ Party under the Nation Alliance, has long been against the Canal İstanbul project, a planned artificial waterway between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea.

Most recently, on August 20, 2020, İmamoğlu slammed removal of the İMM's banners against the Canal İstanbul project by the Governor's Office of İstanbul. In response to a question regarding the removal of the banners by the Governor's Office, İmamoğlu briefly said:

"We are a state of law, we abide by the laws, no one should have any doubts about this. It was a process that we let it be and watched from a distance to prevent any disturbance, unrest or ugly scenes on the part of city dwellers. But no one should think that we have stepped back in the face of such an attitude and behavior. Our determined attitude persists. In that sense, we will fulfil our responsibility of informing the public to the end.

"We still stand up against this project which is planned to be done on millions of square meters of land belonging not only to the İMM, but also to the people and was drafted behind closed doors without asking a single citizen, we are still against this project, its plans and entire process."

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality had been hanging these informative banners about the project on open-air advertising units that belong to itself and whose locations are set by tender specifications.

Three days earlier, Mayor İmamoğlu had also said, "If it is constructed, our city will lose 29 percent of its water resources, the Sazlıdere Dam will be destroyed, the risk of saltwater mixing in the Terkos Lake water will emerge, groundwater resources will be depleted."

"Who needs Canal İstanbul? İstanbul or a handful of people whose 'order of extravagance' is over?" he had asked, adding that the canal would cause 100 billion dollars of extra tax: "But we will pay the price for their pleasure, 82 million citizens of the Republic of Turkey will pay. Construction and expropriation costs, which will reach astronomical figures, will put a new tax burden of at least 100 billion dollars on all of us. We will be caught in the middle of new international crises. For this reason, we say that there is no other option; it's either the canal or İstanbul."

(EMK/SD)