Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality faces investigation over scooter tender fraud

An investigation has revealed allegations of tender fraud involving the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) regarding the procurement of electric and balanced scooters in 2021. Authorities allege that purchasing officials, including engineers, technicians, and unit deputy managers, inflated prices to secure specific products.

According to investigation files, the municipality purchased five electric scooters and ten balanced scooters at significantly higher rates than retail market prices. The municipality paid 20,650 TL for each electric scooter and 189,980 TL for each balanced scooter, despite retail prices being identified at 17,000 TL and 110,000 TL respectively. This discrepancy resulted in an estimated public loss of at least 818,000 TL.

Preliminary reports also suggest that the technical specifications in the tender were written in a manner that effectively limited competition to specific brands and models, as no other products were found to meet the entirety of the requirements.