Sayıştay reports financial irregularities in Turkish municipalities

The Turkish Court of Accounts (Sayıştay) has released audit reports revealing various financial irregularities and budget violations across multiple municipalities.

In Gaziantep, the Araban Municipality exceeded the legal limit for direct procurement by 19.1 million TL without obtaining required permission from the Public Procurement Authority. Yavuzeli Municipality was also cited for exceeding the 10 percent spending threshold without authorization.

In Kahramanmaraş, five district municipalities—Andırın, Çağlayancerit, Ekinözü, Göksun, and Nurhak—were found to have bypassed procurement limits without necessary approvals. Similarly, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality faced criticism for mismanagement, including the neglect of 37,574 olive trees and improper waste management in Bergama that caused environmental pollution.

Other significant findings include: • Kapaklı Municipality: Interest expenses rose by 122 percent in one year, reaching approximately 79 million TL due to credit usage for vehicle and road works. • Malatya Metropolitan Municipality: Debt levels exceeded legal limits by approximately 2.95 billion TL. • Antalya Metropolitan Municipality: A 114.2 million TL tender for film and piano festivals was criticized for restricting competition by combining two separate events into a single tender, resulting in only one bidder.