The pro-Kurdish party’s new co-mayor of Turkey’s eastern province of Kars said that all office furniture of the municipality were seized as a result of an outstanding debt of the previous far-right nationalist administration, Mezopotamya News Agency reported.
Ayhan Bilgen, who was elected as the new mayor from the predominantly Kurdish Democratic People’s Party (HDP) on March 31, said they have been witnessing waves of seizures since they took office.
The previous Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) left a total debt of more than 338 million lira ($55.8 million) to its successors and all other unlovable assets and vehicles f the municipality was previously seized by payees, Mezopotamya said. This time a company that awaited an outstanding payment of 430,000 lira ($71,000) demanded seizure of the municipality’s office furniture as there were nothing left.
“We talked to the company. We will ask for some time to review the tender. We will bring it to the court along with our complaint over the seizure,” Bilgen told Mezopotamya.
According to Bilgen, there are serious irregularities in the tenders of the previous administration, as the former mayor on the one hand failed to pay electricity bills and salaries, while at the same time continued to purchase equipment for parks.