Ankara, Istanbul municipalities under probe over event expenditures

ANKARA

Two public prosecutor offices have launched an investigation into Ankara and Istanbul municipalities over their expenditures on some events.

The first announcement of the investigations surfaced late on Nov. 13 against the Ankara Municipality, which has been under criticism for nearly two weeks over its spending on two concerts organized during Republic Day celebrations on Oct. 29.

Two inspectors from the Interior Ministry will be involved in the investigation initiated by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Public debate erupted over claims that the capital's municipality allocated 61 million Turkish Liras (nearly $1.8 million) to concerts featuring singer Ebru Gündeş, in celebration of the 101st anniversary of the foundation of the country.

The municipality denied the alleged figure, stating that 44 million liras was spent on the event, which included the fee for the singer, a 100-member team, equipment and all other organizational costs — an amount still deemed exorbitant by many.

Mayor Mansur Yavaş later clarified in a press briefing that 4.7 million liras was paid to Gündeş, while the remaining funds were allocated to the organization.

In his initial response to the Nov. 13 probe, Yavaş said that he does not refrain from any external investigations, noting that the municipality’s transactions are fully “accountable.”

Only hours after the probe into Ankara, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced a similar investigation into the Istanbul Municipality, also citing alleged “irregular” spending on some events without elaborating on specific organizations.

The inquiry, coordinated with inspectors from the ministry, seeks to determine whether these expenditures constituted financial harm to the public.

The investigations into the two municipalities run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) come on the heels of Chairman Özgür Özel’s announcement that new standards will be established for concerts held by the municipalities.

In an interview with daily Hürriyet on Nov. 9, Özel stated that the fees and planning for all 417 CHP municipalities' events, both provincial and district, will be aligned with these upcoming regulations.

In a new development on Nov. 14, an investigation was also opened against the Beykoz Municipality for three concerts held in the Istanbul district.

The prosecutor's office stated that the cost of these three concerts was 20 million liras. The municipality's purchase of the rights of another district's sports club and the expenses incurred by the municipality in the league processes of its own football team are also included in the investigation.