Two municipal administrators in Ankara suspended

ANKARA

Two senior officials from the Ankara Municipality have been temporarily suspended amid an investigation into payments for a public concert.

The suspensions include Haluk Erdemir, head of the municipality's Cultural and Social Affairs Department, and Hacı Ali Bozkurt, the unit's coordinator. Both will remain suspended until the probe concludes.

The investigation, initiated by the capital’s chief public prosecutor's office, follows allegations that the municipality paid 69 million Turkish Liras for a concert by singer Ebru Gündeş.

In response, the municipality issued a written statement denying the claims. Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş also addressed the issue in a press briefing, detailing expenses for concerts held last month.

Yavaş said the payment to Gündeş and her team amounted to 13.2 million liras.

He further disclosed that the municipality spent 78.5 million liras on performances by Gülşen, Murat Boz and Mor ve Ötesi during concerts held on May 17, 18 and 19. The mayor said concert expenses represented only 0.6 per thousand of the municipality's total budget.

Only hours after the probe into Ankara, the prosecutors in Istanbul 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.