* Photo: MA
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Led by the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), the Ağrı Patnos Municipality's bank accounts have been freezed by the Patnos Directorate of Debt Collection due to the debt incurred during the term of former Mayor Cem Afşin Akbay from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Releasing a statement about the issue, the Patnos Municipality has indicated that no payments can be made to the debtee shopkeepers due to the economic problems currently faced by the municipality.
The Municipality's statement has defined it as "ill intentioned" that "an attachment has been levied while the Patnos Municipality already has economic problems and this situation is known by everyone."
Noting that "the levied amount is the money to be used for the public good," the Municipality has said, "We respectfully declare to the public that no payment can be made to the shopkeepers that we are indebted to."
Criminal complaint against Directorate
As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), HDP's Patnos Co-Mayor Müşerref Geçer has slammed the related procedure and said that there is an attempt to pit the people against the municipality.
The Co-Mayor has indicated that "the Directorate of Debt Collection's freezing of the accounts on the day of the municipality's accrual has caused several works in the district to stop." According to Geçer, "all vehicles running on fuel in the district cannot operate as there is no fuel."
"We faced off against several people today. We will not surrender the HDP municipality to their evil purposes," he has said, announcing that they have filed a criminal complaint against the Directorate of Debt Collection.
136-million debt
Cem Afşin Akbay was the Patnos Mayor from the ruling AKP in the term of 2014-2019. In August 2021, by a Presidential decision, he was appointed as a sub-governor to the Görele district in Giresun.
Akbay reportedly handed over the Patnos Municipality with a debt of 136 million 410 thousand 524 lira. (TP/SD)
