**Ekrem İmamoğlu has remained in pretrial detention since March 2025** amid a sprawling Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality corruption case involving 414 defendants and charges that include leading a criminal organization, bribery, bid-rigging, and related offenses. Prosecutors seek sentences ranging from 828 to over 2,300 years. As of mid-August 2026, the trial—now in its second hearing phase at the Silivri prison courtroom—continues without a verdict or İmamoğlu’s full defense presentation, following earlier courtroom disputes that led to his removal and delays. Monthly detention reviews, most recently in early August, have kept him and a shrinking group of co-defendants (now around 53) in custody while dozens of others were released pending trial. Additional parallel proceedings, including a political espionage case and diploma-related matters, add procedural layers. The court’s pattern of extending his detention, combined with the case’s scale and expected duration well into 2027 or later, underpins the market’s strong “No” consensus on release before the end of 2026. No recent official actions or rulings indicate an imminent change in his custody status.