Cutting ribbon at border post that cut corners
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 19, 2009 09:07
EDİRNE - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will open the new Kapıkule Border Gate complex in the northwestern province of Edirne today, but the complex faces allegations that it was constructed illegally.
The Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges, or TOBB, is renovating the Kapıkule border gate, Turkey’s busiest customs post and its main land-based gateway to Europe. The contract was given to the body, the largest business group in the country, through the build-operate-transfer model, whereby it will build and manage the post for a specific period before it is transferred back to the state.
The Kapıkule customs point links Turkey to Bulgaria and through it, to the rest of Europe. It is the busiest customs facility in Turkey, and according to wikipedia, the busiest land border crossing in Europe. Kapıkule is also on a key transit for trade between Europe and Turkey’s neighbors to the east.
TOBB spent 132 million Turkish liras to build the complex and a day before it will officially be opened, Edirne Prosecutor’s Office launched a case, arguing that the complex did not have a building license, nor had the contractors tried to get a license after they were notified.
The prosecutor’s office has charged two construction companies, who had won a building tender from TOBB, for causing "building pollution." The office is seeking a prison term of between one to five years for three executives of the companies. An Edirne court has accepted the prosecutor’s indictment and will soon begin hearing the case. The investigation began last year after the Edirne Municipality filed a complaint.
The prosecutor’s office said all of the buildings in the complex were illegal. But, Prime Minister Erdoğan will arrive in Edirne to officially open the post at 3 p.m.
The Kapıkule customs point links Turkey to Bulgaria and through it, to the rest of Europe. It is the busiest customs facility in Turkey, and according to wikipedia, the busiest land border crossing in Europe. Kapıkule is also on a key transit for trade between Europe and Turkey’s neighbors to the east.
TOBB spent 132 million Turkish liras to build the complex and a day before it will officially be opened, Edirne Prosecutor’s Office launched a case, arguing that the complex did not have a building license, nor had the contractors tried to get a license after they were notified.
The prosecutor’s office has charged two construction companies, who had won a building tender from TOBB, for causing "building pollution." The office is seeking a prison term of between one to five years for three executives of the companies. An Edirne court has accepted the prosecutor’s indictment and will soon begin hearing the case. The investigation began last year after the Edirne Municipality filed a complaint.
The prosecutor’s office said all of the buildings in the complex were illegal. But, Prime Minister Erdoğan will arrive in Edirne to officially open the post at 3 p.m.