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A case on alleged irregularities that took place during the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) 38th Ordinary Congress was on Tuesday delayed to Jan. 13, 2026.
Twelve defendants will be tried in the case, among them disgraced former Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.
At the hearing held at the Ankara 26th Criminal Court of First Instance, the court announced its interim decision, breaking it into 15 subheadings with interim rulings and postponing the hearing to Jan. 13, 2026.
The reasons given were the removal of missing issues, informing the victim, former CHP Chairperson Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, about the case and the next hearing through an invitation, and the five-month waiting period for the Constitutional Court ending on Dec. 25, 2025.
On June 3, the Ankara public prosecutor’s office had prepared an indictment on the CHP’s 38th Ordinary Congress held on Nov. 4-5, 2023, pursuant to Article 112 of the Political Parties Law and other relevant legislation.
In the indictment, Kılıçdaroğlu was named as the victim and former Hatay Mayor Lütfü Savaş as the complainant.
Between Nov. 4-5, 2023, during the CHP 38th Ordinary Congress held at Ankara Sports Hall, it was alleged that some delegates were bribed or offered incentives to vote in favor of then-candidate Özel. According to the claims, certain delegates were given money, promised mayoral or municipal council candidacies, or had themselves or relatives employed in CHP-run municipalities or affiliated companies.
CHP leaders have complained it is part of a “political operation” against them. Government officials counter that such claims are an attempt to discredit the legal process, pointing again to the independence of the judiciary and stressing that no political body can interfere in ongoing investigations.
Kılıçdaroğlu, ousted after more than a decade at the helm, has stayed silent during the proceedings. His lawyer insists he did not initiate the case. Still, many party members support his return and speculation abounds about his role if “absolute nullity” is declared.
