Mansur Yavaş reacts to 'operation against ABB' question: 'We have nothing to fear!'

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Mansur Yavaş made statements to journalists regarding the current agenda.

Yavaş reacted to the operations targeting CHP municipalities with the words, "It has moved beyond a trial and turned into an operation."

Responding sharply to the question, "Will there be an operation against the ABB?" Yavaş said, "There is no reason for an operation against Ankara. At most, we might face slander."

Speaking about MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli's support for CHP Chairman Özgür Özel's demand that "hearings be broadcast live on TRT," Yavaş said, "From the very beginning, we have wanted all of Mayor Ekrem's trials to be broadcast live. Everything that has been done in the trials so far has been contrary to the law."

Highlights from Yavaş's statement are as follows:

"I evaluate the arrest of Mayor Zeydan as follows: 11 years have passed, and you have not conducted any investigation. Suddenly, you arrest Mayor Zeydan based on the statement of an individual who is making various slanders to save himself. In criminal proceedings, everyone's statement carries equal weight. If one person claims something and the other denies it, you cannot rely on one person's statement without supporting it with collateral evidence. This is a very grave situation. It is not possible to call this a trial or an investigation. It is purely a political operation.

No one objects to a fair trial. If you cast the law aside, act as if the Court of Accounts' audits do not exist, and arrest a person in a way that declares them guilty in advance, this is wrong. Arrest is the last resort. His residence is fixed. If this incident occurred, it happened 11 years ago. He did not tamper with the evidence. Why are you arresting him? Why are you preventing him from serving the people of Adana?

"THERE IS AN OPERATION, NOT A TRIAL"

And then there is our Adıyaman Mayor. Suppose he said to a contractor, 'We owe this much to the restaurant where the earthquake victims are eating, pay this.' For heaven's sake, leave it be. You cannot sentence a mayor to house arrest for this. This has moved beyond a trial and turned into an operation.

"THERE IS NO REASON FOR AN OPERATION AGAINST ANKARA"

I have served as mayor for 10 years. I have not been faced with a single corruption investigation. There is not a single investigation regarding me. There are a few examinations conducted by inspectors regarding some allegations. That is all. That is called an examination. We have nothing to fear from the prosecutor's office or the judiciary. What is it, then? Everyone who comes along asks, 'Will there be an operation against Ankara?' There is no reason for an operation against Ankara. At most, we might face slander.

"WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR"

We want to compete politically with whoever is on the other side. We said we would manage better, we came, and we were elected. The public was satisfied, so they re-elected us with a higher vote. Attempting to remove elected people from office is extremely wrong. It is contrary to law and morality. We are people who live with honor and dignity. We do not want to appear before the public with the smears of some slanderers. If there is anything, let it be investigated in accordance with the procedure, and let all of our trials be broadcast live. We have nothing to fear.

"ARE THEY PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW?"

There is no such thing as a fair trial. There is nothing left of the rule of law. If there were a fair trial, this individual has received 300 tenders from AKP municipalities. Are they pure as the driven snow?"