İstanbul Municipality Brings Block on Coronavirus Donations to Council of State

İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu (Photo: Ekrem İmamoğlu / Twitter)

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An Interior Ministry circular blocking coronavirus donations to İstanbul and Ankara municipalities has been brought to the court.

İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality applied to the Council of State, requesting suspension of execution and cancellation of the blocking.

The ministry issued a circular on Tuesday (March 31), stating that the municipalities did not receive permission from it to launch fundraising campaigns, hence it was illegal for them to collect donations, citing the law on fundraising. Following the circular, the state-owned Vakıfbank blocked the donation accounts.

CLICK - Interior Ministry Blocks Coronavirus Donations to İstanbul, Ankara Municipalities

In response, the municipalities stated that they could accept donations according to the law on municipalities.

Eleven metropolitan municipalities from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), including İstanbul and Ankara, released a joint statement yesterday (April 1), saying that they called on people to make donations as the "gravity of the disaster would exceed their budgets."

The statement said "this delicate situation should not be made an instrument for political polarization," stressing that the laws allow municipalities to collect donations. It criticized the Interior Ministry for considering the municipalities' calls for donation a "fundraising campaign" and cancelling it.

President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later in the day accused the municipalities of "attempting to create a state within the state" by of collecting donations.

In its application to the Council of State, İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality also stated that municipalities and mayors were allowed to collect donations and that donations were included in incomed of municipalities, citing Law No 5393 on Municipalities and Law No 5216 on Metropolitan Municipalities.

It also applied against the blocking of donation accounts and requested the suspension of execution. Upon an order by İstanbul Governor's Office, four accounts in different banks were blocked. (EKN/DB/VK)