Ankara Mayor Denies Bribery, Bid Rigging Allegations

Çankaya Mayor Hüseyin Can Güner faces allegations of bribery and bid rigging as part of an investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Güner, who provided an 18-page statement to the Anti-Financial Crimes Branch, vehemently denied all accusations leveled against him.

Specifically questioned about irregularities in the municipality's waste collection and cleaning tenders, Güner asserted his lack of involvement. He stated that tender preparations are handled by relevant directorates and executed by the Central Procurement Office, maintaining "I have no involvement or knowledge of the preparation and execution of the tenders; I am innocent."

Regarding canceled tenders, Güner explained that these decisions were made by tender authorities based on ensuring competition and public interest, and were subsequently upheld by the Public Procurement Authority and the Council of State. He further emphasized that these cancellations led to millions of liras in savings for the municipality through temporary tenders, preventing any public loss.

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İhale ve alım işlemlerinin kendi belirlediği süreçler olmadığını ifade eden Güner, "Hazırlıklar ilgili müdürlüklerce yapılır ve Merkezi Satın Alma Bürosu tarafından ihale edilir. İhalelerin hazırlanışı ve yapılmasıyla ilgim ve bilgim yoktur, suçsuzum."

Searches at Güner's home, workplace, and former law office yielded computers, e-signature flash drives, cash, and gold. Güner identified the seized 100,000 Turkish Lira and gold as his wife's "daily gold savings." He also refused to voluntarily provide the password to his personal mobile phone.

Additionally, Güner addressed alleged message exchanges on a social media account, "sadikcankoksal," concerning municipal licensing and tender matters. He claimed these messages involved third parties and had no relation to him. The article also notes that a previous investigation by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into a cleaning service tender, concerning why it progressed slowly and why a negotiated procedure (21/B) was used instead of open tender, resulted in a decision of "no grounds for prosecution" on December 5, 2024.

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İptal kararlarının "rekabet unsurunun sağlanamaması" ve "kamu yararı" gözetilerek ihale yetkililerince alındığını, bu kararların Kamu İhale Kurumu (KİK) ve Danıştay tarafından da hukuka uygun bulunduğunu ifade etti.