News from the pro-government side: Artists to testify in ABB concert investigation
While 13 people have been detained as part of the investigation into concerts organized by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB), it has been suggested that some famous artists may be called to testify.
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The 759 million lira spent by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality on 32 concerts held between 2021 and 2024 is at the center of the investigation. While it is stated that an initial review identified 154 million lira in public loss, the documents, consisting of 47 files, are being examined in detail by the Ankara Financial Crimes Bureau.
In this context, 13 people, including municipal officials and owners of the organization company, had been detained. Making a statement following the detentions, ABB Mayor Mansur Yavaş recalled corruption allegations from the era of former mayor Melih Gökçek and compared social event expenditures with the AKP era. Yavaş stated, "Our expenditures and those of the previous era are clear. They ask, 'Is 40 million given for a concert?' Yet, they paid 41 million to a model they brought from Europe just to ring a gong at a festival. She rang the gong and left, just think about it."
ARTISTS EXPECTED TO TESTIFY
The pro-government Sabah newspaper suggested that the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office may call some artists to testify due to "discrepancies" identified in payments to artists in expert reports.