CHP's Ülkü İnanlı to Tuzla Mayor Bingöl, who switched to AKP: You covered up irregularities

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) CHP Group Deputy Chair and Tuzla Municipal Council Member Ülkü İnanlı reacted to Tuzla Mayor Eren Ali Bingöl, who switched to the AKP after being elected from the CHP, during a Municipal Council meeting.

Reminding that Bingöl was elected mayor with the votes of 84,094 voters in the March 31, 2024 local elections, İnanlı criticized his subsequent move to the AKP. Addressing Bingöl's remarks after his switch, where he said, "I am coming from the opposite neighborhood, protect me," İnanlı stated, "Instead of apologizing to the 84,094 voters who elected you and trusted you, you are complaining about your voters to the party whose protection you have sought."

İnanlı argued that Bingöl's accusations against the IMM and IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu regarding zoning transfer debates during the extraordinary council meeting held on June 22 served as the groundwork for his transition to the AKP.

ACCUSATION BASED ON INSPECTION REPORT

In her speech, İnanlı cited the IMM Inspection Board report regarding zoning transfers in Tuzla, stating that the report found "a zoning right that should have been used only once was transferred to 185 different parcels," identified "669 duplicate transactions," and contained findings that transfer documents were missing in 884 of the 1,025 recipient parcels.

İnanlı further stated that the report included findings that areas that should have been transferred to the municipality were not transferred to the public, that zoning transfers were carried out with the consent of three people via power of attorney at the same notary, and that a total of 520,000 square meters of excess construction area based on zoning was created.

Stating that the report in question was sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the Ministry of Interior, and the Tuzla Municipality, İnanlı addressed Bingöl, asking, "If there was no crime, and you were defending these to the end and thinking of the people of Tuzla, why didn't you say, 'The Inspection Board report is incorrect'?"

Pointing to the period of the previous AKP Tuzla Mayor Şadi Yazıcı, İnanlı alleged that Bingöl was aware of the irregularity claims after taking office but did not file a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office as a municipality. Using the phrase, "You did not expose any of the irregularities you identified. You became a partner in the crime," İnanlı said that after blaming the IMM for two years, Bingöl had "joined the same ranks as those who created the source of the problem."

During the meeting, Bingöl also opposed the "you became a partner in the crime" remark directed at him. Bingöl said, "Being a partner in a crime is a crime against me. If you have such a claim, file a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office along with the documents."

At the end of her speech, İnanlı reminded that she had campaigned for votes for Bingöl in the March 31 elections and said she apologized to the voters of Tuzla.