The 74th hearing day of the İBB Case, involving 414 defendants, 53 of whom are in custody, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, began in the new courtroom built at Marmara Closed Prison in Silivri by the Istanbul 33rd High Criminal Court. The court is hearing requests for the release of the detained defendants.
Former Kültür AŞ General Manager Serdal Taşkın said his term in office lasted 13 months and that he worked as a farmer in Erzincan until his arrest. Taşkın denied the allegations against him, stating that he was retired at the time of the 2022 metrobus tender over which he is accused.
Why it matters
The case reaching its 74th hearing day shows that proceedings are continuing as a protracted process due to the large number of defendants and the many defendants in custody. Hearing the release requests means that, at this stage, the court will assess the defendants’ personal statements regarding their continued detention and their defenses concerning the charges in the case file. Serdal Taşkın’s statement brings to the fore the question of how closely the allegations align with the defendant’s term in office and his position during the period covered by the charges. Given Taşkın’s denial of the charges, the unresolved issue is how the court will assess this defense together with the other evidence and allegations in the case file. Holding the hearing in the new courtroom also highlights the institutional and logistical dimension of the proceedings at their current stage.
Background
İBB is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the past 90 days, we published one news report mentioning this name; that article was dated August 28, 2026.