Ferdi Zeyrek had revealed it 2 days before he passed away! Allegations of a major scam at Manisa Municipality: Blocked for 10 years

Cumhuriyet columnist Murat Ağırel revealed that in a phone call two days before his death, the late Manisa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ferdi Zeyrek had explained to him in detail the corruption that took place during the previous term.

Stating that Zeyrek had filed criminal complaints with the prosecutor's office based on Inspection Board reports, Ağırel said, "However, no action was taken."

FUEL RECEIPTS WITH FICTITIOUS LICENSE PLATES

According to information obtained by Ağırel, some municipal officials generated fictitious vehicle license plates in 2023 that did not correspond to reality. It was revealed that fuel expenses for vehicles used in election campaigns were paid from the municipal budget using these plates, and that these transactions were carried out by forging official documents. The Inspection Board determined that the municipality had suffered losses and that unfair benefits had been provided to third parties.

33 MILLION LIRA PUBLIC LOSS

In another investigation conducted by the MASKİ Inspection Board, corruption was detected in a tender held before the 2024 local elections for the "construction of drinking water and sewage systems in various neighborhoods." As a result of the examination by inspectors and technical experts, it was determined that there was a public loss amounting to 33 million TL (including VAT).

It was determined that from the time the Manisa Metropolitan Municipality's legal entity was established in 2014 until 2024, the previous mayor did not allow the Inspection Board to examine any tender files.

It emerged that during this period, only investigations regarding personnel disciplinary actions were carried out, and no other audits of irregularities were permitted.

SPORTS COMPLEX THAT COST 9.7 MILLION IS NOW IDLE

Another important issue conveyed by Zeyrek was the construction of an indoor sports hall and swimming pool that began in 2016. It was determined that the project was started without soil surveys or engineering designs, and that the construction was built on unsuitable ground.

Two months after opening, shifting and subsidence occurred in the ground, and cracks formed in the pool. It was stated that 9 million 700 thousand TL was paid from the municipal treasury for the structure, which became unusable, and that building the same facility today would cost approximately 500 million liras.

10 MILLION TL OVERPAYMENT THROUGH FALSE COST ESTIMATES

In another tender held in 2023 and 2024, it was reported that the estimated cost was shown to be much higher than it should have been; while the work should have normally cost 10 million 700 thousand TL, it was put out to tender calculated at 19 million 500 thousand TL. As a result of the tender, the work was awarded for 20 million 900 thousand TL. It was stated that this situation resulted in a public loss of 10 million TL and provided unfair gain to the contractor firm.