AKP youth accuses Istanbul Municipality of corruption for 392 liras

One of the youth organizations of the ruling AKP staged a protest in front of the main opposition-led Istanbul Municipality on June 1 to accuse the administration of corruption over the purchase of 392 liras' worth of baklava, which is approximately $45 with the current exchange rates. The protest comes at the height of debates surrounding $128 billion that went missing under the AKP administration.

Wednesday June 02 2021 04:35 pm

The AKP Youth members hold up a banner that reads "They ate up a sweet 392 liras!!"

Duvar English

A group of members of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) youth branch staged a protest outside the opposition-led Istanbul Municipality on June 1, accusing the administration of corruption on grounds of the purchase of 392 liras' worth of baklava, a spending of approximately $45 with current exchange rates.

Ironically, the AKP youth members also distributed baklava at the protest, although AKP youth branch head Osman Tomakin said that the kilo price of the dessert they picked was cheaper than the municipality's.

"We searched all over Istanbul for baklava sold for 392 liras per kilo, we couldn't find it. We think there's a waste here and we stand against it as the youth," Tomakin said.

Tomakin also said that Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has campaigned to end wasteful spending in local government.

"It's up to the public to evaluate the purchase of 392 liras' of baklava by an administration that took down vertical urban gardens to fight wasteful spending," Tomakin said.

The debate surrounding Istanbul Municipality's alleged wasteful spending ironically comes at the height of public controversy about $128 billion that went missing from state funds under the rule of the AKP.