The awarding of public tenders to figures close to the government continues to spark controversy. According to a report by İsmail Arı from BirGün,the latest tender organized by the Housing Development Administration (TOKİ) was awarded to the company of Burak Soylu, who sent a letter to AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan while he was at Pınarhisar Prison.
According to information in the Public Procurement Bulletin, TOKİ opened a tender on February 20, 2025, for the "Construction of 281 Residences, Infrastructure, and Landscaping in Muhtarlık Neighborhood (Meydanlar District), Pülümür District, Tunceli Province." With the contract signed on March 14, the 697 million 845 thousand TL tender was awarded to the Har Proje Yapı and Vyn İnşaat joint venture.
Burak Soylu stated that "he participated in the tender on behalf of another company that did not have the eligibility to participate, and that his own company is not actually doing the work." It was noted that the tender was conducted under the controversial 21/B clause of the Public Procurement Law, which is used for "sudden and unexpected events such as natural disasters, epidemics, or threats to life or property, as well as works with special technical requirements" through the negotiated procedure.
Burak Soylu's name first appeared in the public eye in 2019 with news reports titled "President Erdoğan met with his pen pal."
News Source: 12punto
