IMM issues 'Coup Against Democracy' statement against operation: Allegations refuted in 7 points

A statement has been issued by the IMM regarding the detention warrants issued for 106 people, including Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor and expected CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, and the subsequent detention of 87 individuals.

In the article titled "Coup Against Democracy: Lies and Facts," all allegations were refuted point by point in 7 items. Here is that article...

COUP AGAINST DEMOCRACY: LIES AND FACTS

Our responses to the lies directed at the Union of Municipalities of Turkey (TBB) and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor, and Republican People's Party (CHP) presidential primary candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu and IMM employees, who have been subjected to two major acts of lawlessness within 24 hours, are as follows:

THE "LUXURY RESIDENCE" LIE

LIE: "He was living in luxury and was detained in a million-dollar villa he bought with money obtained through illicit gains."

FACT: IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu lives with his family in the mayoral residence in Sarıyer, which is owned by the IMM. This property, which was previously allocated to a foundation, was reclaimed for the IMM by Ekrem İmamoğlu and arranged as a mayoral residence so that it could be used by mayors after him. Just like the campus in Florya, which was allocated to the ruling party's mayors before 2019 and contained luxury villas, being allocated to the Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA) upon Ekrem İmamoğlu's directive and opened for the use of the people of Istanbul.

THE LIE THAT IRREGULAR TENDERS WERE HELD THROUGH MEDYA A.Ş. AND KÜLTÜR A.Ş.

LIE: "Irregular tenders were held through Medya A.Ş. and Kültür A.Ş., special jobs were given to certain individuals; projects were either not completed or left unfinished."

FACT: Both IMM subsidiary companies have been audited by the Court of Accounts multiple times. The rooms allocated to the inspectors were always occupied, and no irregularities were detected in any of the examinations conducted. Tenders, service procurements, and contracts regarding outdoor advertising media have been audited repeatedly. No negative findings were encountered in separate examinations conducted by inspectors from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Trade.

HOWEVER; The files on hundreds of billions of TL in irregularities, which were identified as a result of internal audits conducted regarding the period before Ekrem İmamoğlu upon his instruction, were seized by the Ministry of Interior. These files include corruption such as the sale of IMM-owned lands to certain individuals at low prices and their subsequent repurchase by the IMM at high prices, million-dollar scholarships for specific individuals, private vehicle allocations, and expenditures made for political activities. However, the fate of these files remains unknown.

THE LIE THAT AID WAS PROVIDED TO A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

LIE: "Aid was provided to a terrorist organization, and organization members and sympathizers were hired within the İPA and BİMTAŞ."

FACT: The IMM under Ekrem İmamoğlu's administration has faced such accusations before and has been cleared in all judicial processes. The claim that there were "700 terrorists" in the IMM was put forward, but only 41 people were tried within this scope, and all of them were acquitted. The Minister of Interior of the time confessed to these allegations by saying, "We had to do it politically." Hiring at the IMM is carried out with great meticulousness, and not only criminal records but also security clearances are requested from candidates. No personnel are hired without the approval of the Governor's Office.

THE LIE THAT SOME BUSINESSPEOPLE WERE BLACKMAILED

LIE: "Some businesspeople were blackmailed by forcibly extracting decisions from the municipal council."

FACT: Council decisions are subject to the supervision of the IMM Assembly. No objection or allegation has been raised by opposition parties on this matter to date.

THE LIE THAT A MEDYA A.Ş. EXECUTIVE FLED ABROAD

LIE: "A Medya A.Ş. executive fled abroad."

FACT: Medya A.Ş. Executive E.G. went on vacation abroad with his mother after filling out his annual leave form. Following the news of the operation, he decided to return to the country by moving his return ticket to an earlier date and is ready to testify.

THE LIE THAT DATA WAS USED FOR BLACKMAIL

LIE: "Personal data was collected unlawfully using IMM resources and used for blackmail."

FACT: IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has observed public responsibility in the most sensitive manner and is an administrator who is sensitive about this issue, having requested that actions be taken within the scope of the Personal Data Protection Law (KVKK) even in the smallest matters. No data has been shared except in cases requested by judicial authorities.

THE LIE THAT A PARALLEL STRUCTURE WAS ESTABLISHED AT İPA

LIE: “İPA is manipulating statistics by establishing a parallel structure”

FACT: The cost of living research regularly published by the Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA) coincides with the data announced by the ITO and covers studies conducted specifically for Istanbul. The studies, prepared with scientific methods, are carried out under the management of academics who are experts in their fields.