Complaint about garbage is apparently more important than corruption

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An investigation has been launched against Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet, who was elected the Mayor of İzmit in western Turkey in the local elections on March 31, 2019 and is now the only mayor in Kocaeli province from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

After she came into office, Kaplan Hürriyet applied to the Interior Ministry twice, requesting an inspector to probe the corruption during the term of former mayor Nevzat Doğan from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). While these two requests have been rejected, Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet now faces an investigation upon the complaint of a "citizen".

The citizen has accused Kaplan Hürriyet of "misconduct in office", citing the failure to collect the garbage and disinfect the garbage cans regularly.

The Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality has appointed an inspector and demanded Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet's defense as to the accusations.

The appointed inspector has sent a written notification to Kaplan Hürriyet. The notification has indicated that the inquiry was approved by the Kocaeli Governor's Office on December 31, 2020 and referred to an official letter sent by the Kocaeli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on November 17, 2020.

According to this letter, a citizen named M.G. who lives in the Günaydın Housing Estate in Sahilyolu Street, Cumhuriyet Neighborhood in İzmit district applied to the Cleaning Affairs Directorate, Municipal Police Directorate and Public Health Directorate of the İzmit Municipality on June 30, 2020, complaining that the garbage outside the housing estate was not regularly collected, the garbage cans were not cleaned and the necessary disinfection was not undertaken. As the citizen indicated that s/he could receive no response to these complaints, s/he filed a criminal complaint.

Against this background, the inspector has informed the İzmit Mayor that an investigation has been launched against her on charge of "misconduct in office" as per the related articles of the Law no. 4483 on the Trial of Civil Servants and Other Public Officials.

The inspector has also informed the Mayor that she can submit her statement and related documents, if any, in a closed envelope until the end of the business day on January 13, 2021.

She requested inspector from the ministry

Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet previously sent two petitions to the Interior Ministry on September 30 and October 22. The Mayor indicated that they identified irregularities in the appointments and the promotion examinations during the term of AKP's Nevzat Doğan. She requested that the Interior Ministry send an inspector to investigate the issues.

According to the petitions of Kaplan Hürriyet, the related irregularities were identified during the administrative inspections of the Civil Inspector's Office covering the period of July 1, 2016 - August 19, 2019 and conducted between August 19, 2019 and October 4, 2019 as well as in the audits of the Court of Accounts covering the 2019 financial year.

"Irregular actions have been identified in the appointments from the Private Secretary's Office and the appointments made based on the results of promotion examinations," read her petitions further.

Referring to similar appointments before the inspection period, the Mayor requested an inspector from the Interior Ministry.

The Civil Inspection Board answered in following words: "The General Affairs and Execution inspection was carried out in 2019 and the actions and affairs concerning the personnel were handled as part of this inspection; as per the Article 24 of the Interior Ministry's Civil Inspection Board Bylaw, which stipulates that the related institutions and organizations shall be inspected once in three years, the next inspection will be conducted in 2022."

When the Civil Inspection Board conducts the inspection within the specified time, it means that the related irregularities are not subjected to an investigation as they fall outside the inspection year (period of limitation).

'Complaint about garbage matter more than corruption'

İzmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan has denounced the investigation against herself, briefly stating the follosing: "We have requested inspectors from the ministry twice for the irregularities that we have identified. Both of these requests have been rejected and no inspectors have been sent. But an inspector has been immediately sent from the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality about me. So, the complaint about garbage is apparently more important than corruption. In fact, corruption stinks worse." (HA/SD)