Ekrem İmamoğlu has remained in pretrial detention since March 2025 on major corruption charges in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality case, where prosecutors accuse him of leading a criminal organization and seek sentences up to 2,430 years. As of mid-October 2026, the trial has reached its 96th hearing with defenses ongoing, and he is among 53 defendants still held out of 436 total. A separate September 2026 conviction for insulting a public official added a two-year-one-month prison term plus a potential political ban if upheld on appeal. While some co-defendants have been released during periodic reviews, no bail or acquittal has been granted to İmamoğlu, and the extended proceedings plus related legal actions sustain the high trader consensus against release before year-end.