With the allegations of rampant corruption at municipalities run by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) under the spotlight, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday addressed the members of Court of Account, on the occasion of top inspection body’s 164th anniversary.
“Just as the defense of national will is a debt of honor for us, we fight for our honor by not turning a blind eye to squandering, abuse of public resources,” he told the event in Ankara.
“Recent scandals in local administration that we watched with shame and in shock cannot be excused,” he said, without openly naming CHP. Erdoğan’s statements were remarkably toned down compared to his past scathing critique of the opposition’s descent into corruption, which surfaced with a string of scandals in the past few years.
The president also underlined that the public sector personnel, regardless of their position, should act sensibly while using the state’s resources. “This is our red line,” he stated.
CHP-run municipalities were rocked by corruption probes, mostly focusing on mayors and municipal bureaucrats who allegedly took bribes to fast-track bureaucratic processes or approve illegal construction, and those accused of rigging public tenders.
