Prosecutor prepares new indictment for Istanbul mayor over critical remarks

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish prosecutors have issued a third indictment against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - a potential challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan - for remarks criticising the city's prosecutor, according to the indictment and local media.

The indictment, which seeks to jail Imamoglu and ban him from politics, follows his portrayal of earlier cases against him as part of a campaign of judicial harassment of opposition figures, something Erdogan's government denies.

This time, prosecutors requested he be sentenced for threatening and insulting a public official, as well as targeting people involved in the fight against terrorism, the indictment, seen by Reuters, said.

In a statement in court last week, where he was accused of trying to influence the judiciary, Imamoglu, a leading opposition figure, denied any wrongdoing.

He said the latest indictment, which seeks to jail him for seven years and four months, showed Erdogan did not have the courage to stand in front of voters in elections. Imamoglu also said Erdogan believed he would "remain standing through desk-bound games".

"Our people are no longer showing any regard to those who do not show the slightest regard to democracy and their right to elect," he said on X.

The first indictment followed his criticism of legal cases raised against municipalities run by opposition parties, including his Republican People's Party (CHP).

Opposition politicians have faced a series of legal challenges in Turkey, where rights groups say judicial independence has eroded under Erdogan's two-decade rule.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Philippa Fletcher)