The Ministry of Internal Affairs appointed trustees for the third time to the Mêrdîn (Mardin) Metropolitan Municipality under the administration of the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). Mêrdîn Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayors Ahmet Türk and Devrim Demir were unseated from office yesterday and replaced by the governor Tuncay Akkoyun. The trustee decision was based on a pending sentence and two separate investigations against Ahmet Türk. 

 

Türk was elected as Co-Mayor of Mêrdîn Metropolitan Municipality with 52.2 percent of the vote in the 2014 local elections and was unseated from office in 2016. Türk won the 2019 elections with 56.24 percent of the vote, but was unseated again on August 19 of the same year.

 

The governor Mustafa Yaman was appointed as trustee between 2016 and 2020, Mahmut Demirtaş between June 2020 and July 2023 and Tuncay Akkoyun between July 2023 and March 31, 2024. With the latest decision, Akkoyun was appointed trustee of the municipality for the second time. 

 

DOUBLED THE DEBT, TRANSFERRED THE MONEY TO AKP 

 

In 8 years, the trustees have been on the agenda with rent, corruption, irregular transactions, sexual harassment and illegal transactions.

 

3 trustees spent a total of 20 million 596 thousand 632 Liras from the special pen budget. The highest expenditure was made by trustee Tuncay Akkoyun with 10 million 649 thousand 169 Liras in the 3 months before the local elections on March 31, 2024. With this figure, trustee Akkoyun spent more than 4 years of special pen expenditures in 3 months. 

 

Akkoyun, who took over the municipality with 2 billion 180 million Liras from the previous trustees, increased the municipal debt to 5 billion 400 million Liras until March 31, 2024. During Akkoyun's term, many immovable properties of the municipality were transferred and the municipality budget was allocated to AKP's election campaigns. 

 

Some of the irregularities committed during Akkoyun's term are as follows:  

 

“* Kamor National Garden in Artuklu district, which was the subject of millions of Liras bribery and corruption under trustee Mustafa Yaman, was transferred to the treasury. 

 

* The real estate with a surface area of 2 thousand 236.41 square meters, located on parcel 389 block 3 in Diyarbakırkapı Neighborhood of Artuklu district, was called “surplus”. The trustee administration transferred the property to the Investment Monitoring and Coordination Directorate (YİKOB) of the governorship. 

 

* The municipality's nursery was transferred to the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.

 

* Millions of liras were transferred from the Metropolitan Municipality budget to AKP municipalities. In this context, 10 million each was transferred 3 times under the name of “aid” for works that were in the investment programs of Ömerli, Kerboran and Mîdyad municipalities but could not be carried out due to “lack of funds”. 

 

* Trustee Akkoyun transferred 15 million Liras to Üçocak Town Municipality of Xarpêt, his hometown. 

 

* Real estates in Şehidiye neighborhood of Artuklu were transferred to be used as “tourism office” and “social facility area”. 

 

* Transferred immovable properties in Diyarbakırkapı and Saraçoğlu neighborhoods and Cevizpınar neighborhood of Dêrik to YİKOB to be used as “service building” and “public social facility and social facility area”.

 

* MARSU's 16 million Liras sewerage tender was held through “bargaining” in violation of the legislation. 

 

* MARSU's 2 million sewerage tender was held through “bargaining” on the grounds of “disaster”. 

 

* The Metropolitan Municipality allocated LED screens and 42 billboards within its borders, where the municipality's advertising activities are carried out, to YİKOB on the grounds of “effective promotion of public services”.

 

* 15 thousand square meters of immovable property on parcels no. 244, no. 4 and 5 in Yeni neighborhood of Mehsert (Ömerli) district was transferred free of charge to the AKP-affiliated Mehsert (Ömerli) Municipality on the grounds of “surplus”. 

 

* The immovable property on block 2074, parcel 14 in Yalım Neighborhood of Artuklu district was transferred to YİKOB as “Fairground” free of charge on the grounds that it was “surplus to requirements”. The immovable property on block 1, parcel 15 in Diyarbakırkapı Neighborhood was transferred to YİKOB free of charge to be “used for culture-tourism activities” on the grounds that it was “surplus to requirements”. 

 

* 5 paragliders, 5 parachute bags, 5 helmets, 5 harnesses and 3 spare parachutes registered in the inventory of the Metropolitan Municipality's Social Services Department were transferred to Derik Youth and Sports District Directorate. 

 

* The multi-storey parking lot on the immovable property on parcel numbered 2004 block 35 in Yalım Neighborhood of Artuklu district was allocated to the governorship for 5 years.

 

* Akkoyun rented a car for 2 million 416 thousand Liras for AKP President Erdoğan's rally and bought souvenirs worth 6 million 469 thousand Liras. 

 

MA / Ahmet Kanbal