Turkey’s official gazette said early Wednesday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had appointed the top public prosecutor of Istanbul as his new justice minister.
The reason behind the move, which would also see the appointment of a new interior minister, was not immediately apparent. Both had resigned, according to the gazette.
In March of last year, Akin Gurlek, the senior prosecutor in Turkey’s biggest city, issued an arrest warrant for Ekrem Imamoglu, the powerful mayor of Istanbul. This action, which was generally perceived as politically motivated, caused the worst public unrest in the nation in more than ten years.
Imamoglu, who is regarded as the only person who can defeat Erdogan at the polls, was arrested only days before he was announced as the primary opposition CHP party’s nominee for president in 2028.
Opponents have accused Gurlek, a former deputy justice minister, of targeting Erdogan’s opponents.
More than 15 CHP mayors have been imprisoned since Gurlek was appointed top public prosecutor of Istanbul in October 2024; the majority of these mayors have denied any involvement in corruption.
On allegations ranging from bribery to terrorist affiliations and insulting the president, he has also directed inquiries against hundreds of CHP members.
Imamoglu, 54, is presently dealing with a number of legal issues, one of which involves allegations that he questioned Gurlek’s moral character.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the CHP, is also under investigation by prosecutors for allegedly insulting and threatening Gurlek.
Current Governor Yilmaz Tunc will hand over the position to Gurlek, while Mustafa Ciftci, the governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, would take over Ali Yerlikaya’s interior portfolio.
