07.05.2025 18:20
AK Party Ankara Deputy Osman Gökçek claimed that the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality held a tender for the purchase of 45 million cups worth 159 million lira. Gökçek stated, "Let's assume that three thousand of our five thousand citizens drink tea. Enough cups have been purchased to serve funeral services in Ankara for 41 years." In response, the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality denied the allegations.
An interesting move came from AK Party Ankara Deputy Osman Gökçek. Gökçek arrived at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) with a lifeless mannequin wearing a Mansur Yavaş mask, holding a garbage bag and a cardboard cup.
OSMAN GÖKÇEK FROM THE AK PARTY CLAIMS "45 MILLION CUPS"
Later, Gökçek made a statement at the TBMM, bringing up a claim that will be widely discussed regarding the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. AK Party member Osman Gökçek explained that the Cemetery Department of the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality has made a tender worth 159 million Turkish Lira, which has a duration of 45 days, with payments to be made within 60 days.
"25 TRUCKLOADS OF MATERIAL DELIVERED TO ABB"
Gökçek noted: "This tender includes various separate items. 15 thousand boxes of cups are being purchased. Each box contains 3 thousand cups. A total of 45 million cups are being bought. Therefore, today we brought a mannequin of Mr. Mansur Yavaş here and placed cups on it, especially to draw public attention. 45 million cups amount to 25 truckloads of material. 25 truckloads of material were delivered to ABB within 45 days. I want to ask primarily where these are, in which warehouses they are stored."
"ENOUGH CUPS PURCHASED FOR 41 YEARS IN ANKARA"
Gökçek explained that an average of about 5 thousand people attend the funeral ceremonies of those who passed away in Ankara daily, saying, "Let's assume that three thousand of our five thousand citizens drink tea. Enough cups have been purchased to last 41 years for funeral services in Ankara. A cup that is 8.6 centimeters in size. When you line up 45 million of these cups side by side, it would create a path from Mr. Mansur Yavaş's super luxury house in Ankara to his daughter's super luxury house in London. I believe it would also extend about 200-300 kilometers beyond that. The cups have been purchased in such a way that if lined up, they would cover the distance between Ankara and London."
"THE COMPANY WAS TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER AFTER TWO MONTHS OF THE TENDER"
Gökçek mentioned that the company Beta Global, which won the tender, is engaged in mining and construction, stating that the company, established a year before the tender, had not received any other jobs from the state, and that its ownership changed two months before the tender. Gökçek said, "They won the tender. The payment will be made within 60 days. Two months after the tender, they transferred the company to someone else, and this is the only tender they have received so far."
Gökçek reiterated that the company has not received any other tenders to date, saying, "Imagine a company that was established for the first time in a year. The person provides brake spray, toilet bowls, cups, garbage bags, everything. There is automotive, cleaning, stationery, and technology, but they have no work at all."
A RESPONSE CAME FROM THE ANKARA METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY
In response to the claim that nearly a hundred tenders were given to the mentioned company during Melih Gökçek's presidency at ABB, Gökçek replied, "The company's establishment date is December 21, 2022. So, during that period, Mr. Gökçek was not in office." A response came from the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality regarding Osman Gökçek's claims. The Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, which denied the allegations, referred the matter to the prosecutor's office.
"THE ADDRESS OF THE ACCUSER IS THE ANKARA CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE"
The statement included the following remarks: "For years, this understanding, which has turned the municipality into a family empire by distributing public resources to its own circle and has descended upon Ankara, now emerges with shameless audacity, resorting to the politics of slander. However, everyone knows that those who commit crimes in the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality do not go unpunished. But we especially want to emphasize: The address of anyone who claims to have real evidence is clear. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. It is also worth reminding the public again: We will not let a thief forget that he is a thief. Because if forgotten, he will think of himself as a monument of virtue."