Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi has granted permission for an investigation into Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş over allegations that vehicles belonging to the Ankara Municipality were used during an election rally.
According to the investigation document, six minibuses owned by the municipality were allegedly sent to a presidential election rally in the northern province of Karabük ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In the 2023 elections, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was the opposition’s presidential candidate.
The investigation authorization, signed by Çiftçi, also noted that no direct instruction from Yavaş was identified regarding the dispatch of the vehicles.
However, the document argued that the vehicles could not have been sent to Karabük without Yavaş’s knowledge.
The Ankara Municipality has announced it will challenge the investigation authorization at the Council of State.
In a statement, the municipality argued that the decision to allow the investigation was based on assumptions.
The statement also said that Yavaş did not even receive his mayoral salary during the 2023 campaign period.
It further noted that an inspection launched after the allegations were raised during a television broadcast found no evidence.
