Baydemir Faces 2 More Charges
If found guilty, Baydemir faces a total of up to four years imprisonment on both charges.
The first charge levelled against Baydemir this week alleges that the mayor and nine colleagues were responsible for causing economic loss to the municipality in a 2004 tender which originally aimed to improve water services in the city and modernise the Water and Sewage Works computer automation system.
The prosecution claims the tender led to a loss of over 967,000 YTL for the municipality and that the defendants, including Baydemir, had committed gross misconduct. Under article 257 of the Turkish Penal Code, the prosecution is demanding one to three years imprisonment for each.
The second charge against Baydemir was filed on May 31 and claims that the Mayor was responsible to allocating a municipal ambulance to carry the funeral of a member of the Peoples Defence Forces (HPG) rural armed flank of the PKK.
The indictment claims that those involved in the transfer of the funeral had paid 16.80 YTL from the municipality to the ambulance driver hence leading to financial loss for the municipality. A 1 year prison sentence is being demanded under the Vehicles Law 237 article 16.
According to a report in the Gunluk Evrensel (Daily Universal) newspaper, Baydemir has said that according to law 5216, the said funeral was conducted by the municipality and explained "By law this responsibility, this obligation is our in the borders of Diyarbakir. When we receive such a request we have to do what the law requires".
Baydemir added, "in additon to this, it is not our duty to investigate the identity of someone who has lost his life... it is a humanitarian duty, a duty of conscience". (KO/II/YE)