The new judicial year begins: Here are the important cases

The 2025-2026 judicial year is beginning. The trial regarding the highly publicized fake diploma scandal will be heard in Ankara on September 12. The lawsuit filed to annul the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress, held on November 4-5, 2023, and its 21st Extraordinary Congress, held on April 6, 2025, will continue on September 15. Here are the key cases.

During the judicial recess, which began on July 20th following a circular issued by the General Secretariat of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, on-call courts in courthouses heard detainee cases and urgent cases. Other cases were suspended until the new judicial year. On-call committees were on duty at the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Council of State, refraining from hearing cases other than urgent matters. The Constitutional Court was not included in the judicial recess.

Following the conclusion of the judicial recess, the 2025-2026 judicial year will begin with a ceremony on September 1st. The opening ceremony for the 2025-2026 judicial year will be held at the Supreme Court of Appeals. The judicial year opening ceremony will begin with a visit to Anıtkabir at 10:00 a.m. Following the ceremony at Anıtkabir, a ceremony will be held at the İsmail Rüştü Cirit Conference Hall at the Supreme Court of Appeals at 2:00 p.m.

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will not be able to attend the opening ceremony due to his presence in Tianjin, China, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's 25th Council of Heads of State Summit. Supreme Court of Appeals President Ömer Kerkez will deliver the opening speech. Union of Turkish Bar Associations President Erinç Sağkan will also speak. The Judicial Year Opening Reception will be held at 6:00 PM in the Supreme Court of Appeals' Pool Garden.

The first hearing of the trial of Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler, who was detained on September 2-3-4, will be held.

The compensation case filed against Ekrem İmamoğlu by President Erdoğan will begin hearing on September 9. When Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was arrested, Erdoğan filed a lawsuit against İmamoğlu for 1 million lira in nonpecuniary damages for his remarks on October 31, 2024, regarding "a government armed with a stick, pursuing shady moves."

Ekrem İmamoğlu's diploma trial will begin on September 11th. A stay of execution lawsuit was filed against the decision to revoke İmamoğlu's university degree on March 18th. The panel of the Istanbul 5th Administrative Court, which reviewed the appeal, requested the necessary documents from the relevant institutions. This panel was dissolved on June 30th by decision of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), and a newly appointed panel rejected the stay of execution on July 30th. İmamoğlu will face trial on charges of "successive forgery of official documents" related to his revoked diploma, facing a prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months to 8 years and 9 months and a political ban.

On September 18, the trial of deputy mayors and municipal council members who were arrested on the grounds of past Peoples' Democratic Congress (HDK) activities as part of the urban reconciliation investigation will be heard.

The lawsuit filed to cancel the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress on November 4-5, 2023, and its 21st Extraordinary Congress on April 6, 2025, will continue on September 15 .

On September 22, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik will appear before the judge in the case regarding the events that took place in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse on January 31, where Ekrem İmamoğlu went to give his statement.

Ekrem İmamoğlu's "expert case" hearing will be held on September 26th. İmamoğlu, who exposed an expert at the center of investigations into CHP municipalities in a statement he made in January titled "The Big One," is facing a sentence of two to four years in prison and a political ban. He is accused of "attempting to influence a judicial officer, expert, or witness."

Following the start of the new judicial year, the cases that were suspended will continue to be heard.

Among the important cases to be heard in Ankara in the new judicial year is the case concerning the fake diploma scandal, which has garnered significant public attention. The trial concerning 134 defendants indicted in connection with the fraudulent diploma and document scandal involving the e-signatures of several public institution executives was postponed to September 12th. With the acceptance of the indictment and the consolidation of the cases against 65 individuals facing charges related to the same investigation, the number of defendants in this case has now reached 199.

The 39 defendants whose files were separated from the umbrella case regarding the actions at the General Staff Headquarters during the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, will appear before the judge on November 3.

The trial of Mustafa Ensar Aykal and Serdar Öktem, whose case file was separated from the 22-defendant case regarding the murder of former Ülkü Ocakları Education and Culture Foundation President and Hacettepe University Faculty Member Associate Professor Sinan Ateş, will be held on January 8th at the Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court. At the last hearing, it was decided that the defendant, former Ülkü Ocakları director and lawyer Serdar Öktem, who is not in custody, will be present at the next hearing via SEGBİS.

The trial of 10 defendants in the murder of Ankara University Associate Professor Dr. Necip Hablemitoğlu in front of his home in Ankara on December 18, 2002, will continue on October 20.

The case involving 32 defendants regarding the fire disaster that occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya, in which 78 people lost their lives and 133 people were injured, will be heard at the Bolu 1st High Criminal Court on September 22.

The trial of the defendants in the case regarding the stabbing death of 15-year-old Mattia Ahmet Minguzzi in Kadıköy will continue on October 2 at the Anatolian 2nd Children's Court.

The case filed against Istanbul Bar Association President İbrahim Kaboğlu and members of the Board of Directors will be heard in Courtroom No. 1 in the Silivri Prison campus on September 9-10.

Lawsuits filed against contractors and public officials regarding those who lost their lives in the collapsed buildings in the February 6 Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes will continue in the new judicial year.

Among the ongoing cases in this context are the İhsan Bayram, Hasan Alpargün, Sami Bey, Zeray, Mete and Beluk Apartments in Adana; Tutar Yapı Sitesi, Bilge and Yonca Apartments in Osmaniye, Furkan, Kavak, Gözde, Akar, Güven and Yunus Kaya Apartments in Gaziantep; Ayşe-Mehmet Polat and Pamukkale Apartments; Yaşam Konutları, İsias Hotel, Hasoğlu, Arı, Zümrüt and Akgül Apartments in Adıyaman; Burak Yapı, Sueda Kent and Üzümkent Apartments; Yukarı Şehir Cooperative Houses, Kırçuval and Avşar Hotel, Hakimbey Apartment and Güner Apartments in Malatya, Ebrar, Saitbey, Manolya, Arıkan, Penta Park, Hamidiye, Çuhadar, Has-el and Sağlam Evler Apartments in Kahramanmaraş; The lawsuits include the Ezgi, Fazilet, Özlem Bayraktar, Medine, Gülizar, Sulayc and Seda Apartments; Arıkan Hotel; Bad-ı Saba Residences; Rönesans Residence in Hatay; Ebrar, Göçemen 2, Yağmur, Nilüfer, Cemil Çapar, Kule, Arık, Derya, Selim Köse, Zekiye Kırat, Firuz Mutlu, Atilla Eren, Özyurt, Buket, Ilgım, Elit, Kupik, İbrahim Elif and Parlak Apartments; MCG Tower; Rende Esenpark Houses; Different Yaşam Rende and Fuat Koku Sites; Emlakbank Residences and Özkan Gold City Blocks.

(ANKA)