11.10.2025 15:51
ABB President Mansur Yavaş, in his first statement regarding the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's request for investigation permission from the Ministry of Interior, said, "There is no need for the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to obtain permission from the Ministry of Interior to conduct an investigation. If they call us, we are ready to voluntarily give our statements. Because we have nothing to hide, be ashamed of, or conceal."
Mansur Yavaş made a written statement regarding the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's request for an investigation permit from the Ministry of Interior.
Yavaş stated, "Throughout my term, I have taken every step in line with the universal principles of law, democratic values, and the public conscience. I have never hesitated to account for every penny and every signature of the people of Ankara. Today, I say once again: No allegation, no initiative can cast a shadow on my honor, our reputation, and the values I believe in. Because I did the right thing. Because I considered the trust of my nation as my honor. During this process, comprehensive examinations were conducted multiple times by the state's own institutions, the Civil Inspectors, and MASAK officials. Documents, files, and accounts were examined line by line. The result is clear and evident: Every transaction we made is transparent, and there is a record of every penny," he said.
"SOME CIRCLES SEEM TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE" Yavaş continued his statement: "The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor does not need permission from the Ministry of Interior to conduct an investigation. If they call us, we are ready to give our statements voluntarily. Because we have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to conceal. We do not even see the need to obtain permission to facilitate the process and prevent delays. We do not have a single transaction that we cannot account for. However, I would like to share one matter with the public. The issue has been discussed so much that the state's own inspectors came and looked. The documents presented by Osman Gökçek, which spanned pages, were examined one by one by the civil inspector, the highest auditing authority of the state. The result is clear; the civil inspectors did not even see the need to call for statements. The fact that our names are not included in the indictment prepared at the beginning of the week seems to have disturbed some circles," he said.
"IT'S EASY TO KNOCK ON OUR DOOR" Yavaş, recalling the press conference he held after the operation related to the concert investigation, said, "Recently, I had already made a detailed explanation regarding past corruption in my press conference. I will not recount each one again; however, the double standards applied cast a shadow over the rule of law. We were expecting action to be taken regarding both these issues and those who leaked the investigation and politically intervened in the process. Unfortunately, we learned that, on the contrary, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor requested an investigation permit against us on the grounds that I did not sufficiently perform my supervisory duties. This situation is an effort by those who want to distort the scales of justice. Our door is wide open to the state and to justice. But let no one forget; this country cannot be governed by bending and twisting justice. Remember; one day, this scale will weigh everyone. Democracy lives not only at the ballot box but also with trust in justice. Do not make justice a material of politics. Because the law will be needed by everyone one day. It is easy to knock on our door because we are not afraid of accountability. What is difficult is to go to the dirty doors. You have jumped over those doors," he said.
REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION PERMIT FROM THE CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR TO MANSUR YAVAŞ The investigation initiated against the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) due to allegations of corruption related to concerts held in previous years is ongoing. Most recently, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor requested permission from the Ministry of Interior to initiate an investigation against ABB President Mansur Yavaş and his Chief of Staff Nevzat Uzunoğlu for the crimes of "abuse of office" and "neglect of supervisory duties."
BACKGROUND OF THE CONCERT INVESTIGATION According to the report prepared by the Ministry of Interior's Civil Inspectors, MASAK examination, Court of Accounts examination, and expert reports, it was determined that the ABB incurred a loss of 154 million 453 thousand 221.60 lira in 32 concert service procurements.
As part of the investigation, on September 23, 14 suspects, including former municipal bureaucrats and company officials, were detained on charges of "abuse of office" and "manipulating the tender." After the procedures at the police station, the suspects brought to the Ankara Courthouse gave statements to the public prosecutor conducting the investigation and were referred to the peace criminal court. Of the suspects, 5 were arrested by the on-duty peace criminal court for the crimes of "embezzlement" and "manipulating the tender of public institutions or organizations," while 9 suspects were released under judicial control conditions.
In the indictment prepared as a result of the investigation, it was requested that 8 people be sentenced to 31 years and 6 months and 6 people to up to 18 years in prison for the crime of "qualified embezzlement" committed in a "chain" manner.
NAMES OF THE ARRESTED The suspects currently in custody as part of the investigation include: H.A.B, former Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, H.E, former Deputy Head of the Culture Activities Branch/ former Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department, H.Z, former Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, O.E, owner of Evren Teknik Grup Music Organization San. Tic. Ltd. Şti, and S.Ç., one of the partners of Festiva and Enfest Organization Tourism San. Tic. Ltd. Şti.