Opposition questions handling of embassy contract
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Milliyet
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 20, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - A member of the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, has asked the prime minister to clarify who has been granted the contract to build the new Turkish Embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the parliamentary group deputy chairman of the CHP, asked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan whether the $12 million contract for constructing an embassy in the United Arab Emirates was given to the Çalık Group.
When asked by a reporter how he evaluates Erdoğan’s statement that the prime minister’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, had not "received one dime from the Germany-based Lighthouse e.V. Foundation," Kılıçdaroğlu said that Zahid Akman retaining his position is proof of Erdoğan’s links to the case.
Akman is the head of the Supreme Board of Radio and Television, or RTÜK, who is allegedly involved in the German Lighthouse e.V. charity fraud case. "That is why the prime minister supports Akman. Why else?" said Kılıçdaroğlu, accusing two television channels, Kanal 7 and Ülke TV, of also receiving funds from Lighthouse e.V.
’Protecting wrongdoers’
"Does Mr. President think he is fooling children? Do those TV [channels] attack us with false documents for nothing?" Kılıçdaroğlu said. The CHP deputy chairman noted that the fraud money may not have gone into the pockets of Erdoğan directly, but accused the prime minister and the AKP administration of protecting the foundations that allegedly received the stolen charity funds.
Kılıçdaroğlu extended his criticisms to include the Çalık Group, where Erdoğan’s son-in-law is an executive, and asked who funded the obtaining of a major TV channel and a newspaper by the Çalık Group, claiming that this action was supported by funds from Lighthouse e.V.
Kılıçdaroğlu also asked whether the prime minister was behind the Çalık Group being contracted to build the new embassy in the United Arab Emirates. According to Kılıçdaroğlu, a tender of $12 million was opened for the construction of the Turkish Embassy building in Abu Dhabi and five companies including Gap Construction, a sub-company of Çalık Holding, entered bids.
Gap Construction, having received its letter of credit from Aktif Bank, which also owned by Çalık Holding, won the bid in Dec. 2008. After that, Gap Construction hired a company called Mag Architecture as a subcontractor and passed on the work in its entirety. Mag Architecture in turn gave the mechanic subcontractor job to a company called Sönmez Metal, which had also entered a bid after receiving a letter of credit from Aktif Bank.
When asked by a reporter how he evaluates Erdoğan’s statement that the prime minister’s Justice and Development Party, or AKP, had not "received one dime from the Germany-based Lighthouse e.V. Foundation," Kılıçdaroğlu said that Zahid Akman retaining his position is proof of Erdoğan’s links to the case.
Akman is the head of the Supreme Board of Radio and Television, or RTÜK, who is allegedly involved in the German Lighthouse e.V. charity fraud case. "That is why the prime minister supports Akman. Why else?" said Kılıçdaroğlu, accusing two television channels, Kanal 7 and Ülke TV, of also receiving funds from Lighthouse e.V.
’Protecting wrongdoers’
"Does Mr. President think he is fooling children? Do those TV [channels] attack us with false documents for nothing?" Kılıçdaroğlu said. The CHP deputy chairman noted that the fraud money may not have gone into the pockets of Erdoğan directly, but accused the prime minister and the AKP administration of protecting the foundations that allegedly received the stolen charity funds.
Kılıçdaroğlu extended his criticisms to include the Çalık Group, where Erdoğan’s son-in-law is an executive, and asked who funded the obtaining of a major TV channel and a newspaper by the Çalık Group, claiming that this action was supported by funds from Lighthouse e.V.
Kılıçdaroğlu also asked whether the prime minister was behind the Çalık Group being contracted to build the new embassy in the United Arab Emirates. According to Kılıçdaroğlu, a tender of $12 million was opened for the construction of the Turkish Embassy building in Abu Dhabi and five companies including Gap Construction, a sub-company of Çalık Holding, entered bids.
Gap Construction, having received its letter of credit from Aktif Bank, which also owned by Çalık Holding, won the bid in Dec. 2008. After that, Gap Construction hired a company called Mag Architecture as a subcontractor and passed on the work in its entirety. Mag Architecture in turn gave the mechanic subcontractor job to a company called Sönmez Metal, which had also entered a bid after receiving a letter of credit from Aktif Bank.