Request for corruption investigation commission rejected in IMM Assembly

The first session of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Assembly for April was held at the main service building in Saraçhane, presided over by IMM Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan. The prominent agenda item of the session was the proposal to establish an investigation commission within the scope of the corruption investigation conducted into the IMM and its affiliated subsidiary companies.

Speaking on behalf of the AKP Group, Group Spokesperson Murat Türkyılmaz recalled the investigation process carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and called for the establishment of an investigation commission in the assembly. Stating that the judicial process conducted regarding the suspended IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the subsequent arrests have created a significant impact on public opinion, Türkyılmaz emphasized that the subsidiaries affiliated with the IMM are at the center of the process.

AKP's Türkyılmaz made the following assessments in his speech:

"In this context, the proposal for the 'establishment of an investigation commission to examine the allegations shared with the public regarding the IMM and its subsidiaries,' which was previously on the agenda of the extraordinary assembly meeting dated March 24, 2025, and proposed by the Presidential Office, was suspended with the cancellation of said meeting and has not been included in the agenda of the current ordinary assembly meeting. However, IMM subsidiaries are institutions that manage the majority of public resources and should be audited in accordance with the principle of transparency. Yet, as assembly members, we have not been able to obtain information about these companies' tenders, financial transactions, or even their board members. Even the existing specialized commissions cannot access this information."

Arguing that transactions in the subsidiaries should be open to public scrutiny, Türkyılmaz stated that their proposal is important in terms of both public interest and corporate reputation, and said the following:

"A comprehensive audit to be conducted on the subsidiary company, which is one of the most important actors of the IMM, will not only contribute to clarifying the corruption allegations raised but will also help resolve discussions regarding the reputation of our deep-rooted and valuable institution like the IMM, and will serve an important function in bringing the truth to light as soon as possible. In line with the IMM administration's ambitious rhetoric on transparency, its confident stance against accusations, and the public's right to know the truth, we propose and request the establishment of an investigation commission to clarify all allegations regarding the IMM and its subsidiaries."

The proposal was rejected in the Assembly by the votes of the CHP group. CHP Group Spokesperson Gencay Özcan argued that there was no need to establish a commission and said:

"Our friends are proposing to do the audit that the Court of Accounts auditors could not do here. Are they going to do the audit that the Ministry of Trade cannot do? Actually, if you look, these places are being audited. Also, why was such a separate audit deemed necessary? Especially if there is a work proposal regarding these subsidiaries, these subsidiaries should be evaluated in the commission. That is why we will vote 'no'."

As a result of the voting, the proposal to establish an investigation commission was rejected by the votes of the CHP members.

Speaking to the press after the session, AKP Group Deputy Chairman Faruk Gökkuş emphasized that their proposal was legal and legitimate, and criticized the IMM administration:

"As assembly members representing the will of the people of Istanbul, we presented a very reasonable, very legal, and very legitimate proposal to investigate the allegations, suspicious tenders, and irregular expenditures circulating in the IMM subsidiaries."

Gökkuş also reacted harshly to the rejection of their proposal, using the following expressions:

"If you trust yourselves this much, if you truly believe that your case is just, then why are you running away from this audit? If this assembly is blocking this audit, this is no longer just a political preference because this is no longer a political polemic; this is a matter of public safety and public property. We will not be silent. We will continue to defend the rights of this nation, the future of this city, and the honor of this municipality. Challenge accepted. Those who run away from the assembly's audit today will not be able to run away from the nation's conscience one day."