Reports detail graft, debt, and service failures under former CHP mayor Imamoğlu in Istanbul
Two new reports have exposed widespread corruption, mounting debt, and severe service failures in Istanbul under the seven-year rule of former CHP Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who faces a 3,809-page indictment as the alleged leader of a criminal organization. The IBB Activity Report and 2025 Audit Commission Report revealed IETT buses suffered 65,527 breakdowns in 2025, while the municipality's total debt reached TL 336.9 billion. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 828 to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts, with the first hearing held on March 9.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) -- Two new reports have exposed widespread corruption, mounting debt, and severe service failures in Istanbul under the seven-year rule of former CHP Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who faces a 3,809-page indictment as the alleged leader of a criminal organization.
The IBB Activity Report and the 2025 Audit Commission Report, released this month, detail operational and financial collapse at the city's public transport authority IETT. According to the audit, IETT buses suffered 65,527 breakdowns during 2025, averaging 180 vehicles out of service daily. More than 402,000 complaints and over 162,000 service requests were filed regarding IETT operations in 2025 alone, with most focused on canceled services, delays, and poor vehicle maintenance.
IETT's debt climbed to TL 34.69 billion (about $761 million), exceeding the legal borrowing limit by 110%, the report found. AK Party council member Eyüp Uyanık said IETT's debt surged from TL 725 million in 2019 to nearly TL 33 billion in 2025. "This is a clear sign of financial bankruptcy," Uyanık said.
MHP council member Şule Hayal said IETT did not purchase any of the 555 buses planned for 2025, failed to build any of the 300 new enclosed bus stops included in its targets, and made no progress on a planned electric bus conversion program.
The municipality's overall debt burden reached the equivalent of $6.1 billion, according to AK Party council member Ahmet Cin. The IBB's 2025 activity report showed IBB debt reaching TL 261.9 billion by end of 2025; including debts from ISKI and IETT, total debt rose to TL 336.9 billion.
Urban transformation targets also fell short. AK Party council member Süheyla Topçu said only over 7,000 housing units were transformed between 2019 and 2025, far below Imamoğlu's 2019 campaign pledge to transform 100,000 units within five years. Acting Mayor Nuri Aslan said around 200,000 buildings face high risk of severe damage in a major earthquake, noting that most of the city's nearly 800,000 buildings were constructed before 1999.
Topçu also criticized utility and service price increases under Imamoğlu. She said water prices increased by 1,222% between 2019 and 2026, with the cost of 1 cubic meter of water rising from TL 4 in 2019 to TL 52.88 in January 2026. Public transportation fares rose by nearly 1,200% and parking fees more than thirtyfold during the period. "This is no longer a price adjustment, but a systematic policy of hikes," she said.
Separately, the number of municipal vehicles increased from 1,857 in 2019 to 7,784 in 2026, with 3,565 allegedly lacking tracking systems, according to Abdullah Özdemir. "It is unknown who used these unregistered vehicles, where they were used and for what purpose," he said.
The indictment against Imamoğlu, completed on Nov. 11, 2025, identifies him as the alleged "leader of a criminal organization" and includes charges of bribery, laundering criminal proceeds, fraud, extortion, and rigging tenders. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence ranging from 828 years and two months to 2,352 years for Imamoğlu over 142 alleged acts. The first hearing was held on Monday, March 9.