Permission granted for probe against Ankara Municipality over concerts
ANKARA
The Ankara Governor’s Office granted authorization for an inquiry into 33 out of 130 concerts organized by the Ankara Municipality between 2021 and 2024, citing potential financial misconduct.
The move came just a day after Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş informed the public that there was not any probe on the Ankara Municipality.
It also followed the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and other district mayors as well as dozens of people over alleged terror and graft links.
In a statement on March 24, the Ankara Municipality informed that the probe was launched into 33 concerts and no irregularities were found in 97 concerts organized in the same period.
“We would like to emphasize that all these events have already been inquired through routine auditing of the Court of Accounts as well as the Interior Ministry in detail and no irregularities were detected,” read the statement.
Previously, the substantial municipal budget allocated to these concerts had drawn significant controversy. Mayor Yavaş had responded to the allegations during a press conference and denied excessive spending on public events.
