CHP's Tanrıkulu Asks Why Ak Saray Constructed In Protected Zone

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrıkulu submitted a parliamentary question on Wednesday in which he asked why the Ak Saray, to where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will move on Oct. 29 from the Çankaya presidential palace as his new presidential building in Ankara, was constructed in an environmentally protected zone on the Atatürk Forestry Farm (AOÇ).

In a written parliamentary question to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Tanrıkulu noted that as there is no official statement regarding the cost of the Ak Saray, it is important that the government release official information regarding the public investment and their order of priorities. “Was the new presidential palace constructed in an environmentally protected zone? If so, how did the construction company manage to obtain permission to construct the building? Who gave permission? Was a habitation certificate obtained? If not, was the building illegally constructed?” Tanrıkulu asked.

The Ak Saray has been at the center of heated debates as Erdoğan has simply ignored a number of court orders to halt construction immediately, as it was constructed in a protected zone. Even after a court ruling in March of this year, Erdoğan said: “Let them demolish it if they have enough power to do so. They ordered a stay of execution, but they will not be able to stop it. I will open it [the Ak Saray] and I will stay there,” Erdoğan told reporters back in March, when he was serving as the prime minister.

Tanrıkulu also asked the following questions: “Is it true that instructions were given to the Ministry of Development to finish the construction of the new presidential palace as soon as possible? If so, who gave the instructions? President Erdoğan announced that he and his crew would move to the Ak Saray and that the current presidential palace would be put under the prime minister's order. Is there an official contract to do that, or has the president operated without any legal basis? If there is an official contract, what is its content?"

The palace was initially begun as the grounds for the Office of the Prime Ministry, but after Erdoğan won the elections in August, becoming the country's 12th president, he decided to use the building -- which he had ordered in the first place -- as the presidential palace. The Çankaya presidential palace, which had served as the residence and primary office for presidents since the time of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the republic, will allegedly be handed over to be used by the Prime Ministry. There are also rumors that it might be converted into a museum.

Although no official statement has been released regarding the cost of the Ak Saray, experts estimate that Erdoğan's new headquarters probably cost about TL 1 billion ($444 million). He will move in on the anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)