Ankara, Turkey (AP) – The Turkish authorities arrested 13 people on Tuesday as part of an investigation of corruption in the concerts organized by the Metropolitan municipality of Ankara, the last legal action aimed at the municipalities administered by the main opposition party of Turkey.
A statement from the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Ankara said that suspects, including former municipal employees and owners of private events companies, were arrested for positions of abuse of public office and rigs of public tenders.
The investigation focuses on 32 concerts held between 2021 and 2024, which allegedly resulted in 154.4 million Turkish lyre ($ 3.7 million) of financial losses, according to reports from the Ministry of Interior, the Board of Investigation of Financial Crimes of Turkey and the Court of Accounts, according to the statement.
The municipalities led by the opposition of the Republican Popular Party, or CHP, have faced a series of corruption probes this year, including that of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu more high profile. Considered as the main rival of President Rece Tayyip Erdogan, Imamogl was arrested and arrested in March, which caused generalized protests.
The CHP has rejected the accusations, describing legal actions as politically motivated efforts by the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to undermine the opposition through judicial means.
The Government insists that the Judicial Power of Türkiye operates independently and that investigations only focus on discovering corruption.
The CHP achieved radical victories in the local elections last year, which clung to the main cities such as Istanbul and Ankara, while moving significantly in regions traditionally dominated by the ruling domain and Development Justice of Erdogan.
(Tagstotranslate) Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Source link