Ankara Metropolitan Municipality announced that authorities greenlit an investigation into the alleged loss of public funds through concerts organized by the municipality.
The municipality, run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), came under fire when media reports claimed it either inflated prices paid to singers for concerts or genuinely paid high fees to singers far above usual fees.
Mayor Mansur Yavaş was criticized for excessive spending during Republic Day celebrations on Oct. 29, 2024, as media outlets reported that the municipality paid TL 69 million ($1.82 million) for a concert by popular singer Ebru Gündeş – presumably, the highest amount paid to a singer by a municipality. Yavaş announced that they would “investigate” the matter, while the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) slammed the expenditure, which could have been spent on public services instead. The municipality separately announced that the allegations were “unfounded” and they did not pay anything to the company organizing the concert. The metropolitan municipality, however, appeared to accept the expenditure, claiming it was for two days of events to mark Republic Day.
Critics of Yavaş, however, pointed out that the company in question had already organized many concerts the municipality hosted in the past few years and questioned why Yavaş opted for this specific company to organize such events. The same company was behind a past election campaign of Yavaş. The CHP also issued a statement and said they believed the mayor would not “certainly” let such a high amount be spent unfairly.
On Monday, the municipality said in a statement that authorities did not order an investigation of 97 other concerts organized by the municipality, citing a lack of suspected irregularities, and the probe was authorized for 33 concerts on allegation of misuse of public funds.
The statement said that the culture and arts events organized by the municipality between 2021 and 2024 were already being inspected by authorities, and “nothing negative” came out of those inspections by a court tasked with inspecting municipal accounts and the Interior Ministry. It also said nine municipal officials would be investigated as part of inspection. Authorities, meanwhile, said there was no direct investigation into Yavaş himself in the case and inspections were "routine."
