The alleged scandal appeared on the agenda when Ankara police raided the offices of KİK on Monday, detaining 22 people on charges of tender rigging. Police sources suspect KİK employees of having helped several companies win public tenders by issuing reports that favored them. Following an examination of documents, the Ankara police said the detained officials are suspected of having rigged some 60 public tenders. The Taraf daily reported on Thursday that the number of tenders suspected of being rigged increased to 100 with an estimated value of TL 1 billion ($560 million).
Teams from the Ankara Police Department’s Anti-smuggling and Organized Crime Bureau also interrogated officials from MASS Holding, another firm accused of being involved. The police have also issued arrest warrants and are searching for two construction company officials, Orhan N. and Ferit R., Taraf reported. Ferit R. allegedly has ties with a senior executive from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Among the detainees are 20 well-known businessmen and three KİK officials, including former KİK Vice President Ali Kaya and two KİK officials in charge of preparing reports on companies before tenders begin, Osman T. and Şenol V. Kaya had a heart attack during the interrogation and was taken to hospital on Wednesday in Ankara. The police said it found during the investigations that the businessmen also bribed KİK officials with some expensive gifts, including suits, watches and cell phones. KİK officials are suspected of manipulating the regulation of public tenders in favor of businessmen in return for large sums of money. It is also claimed that KİK officials were allowing some companies banned from bidding in tenders to join them after paying a bribe. Releasing a written statement on the issue, KİK dismissed some reports claiming that the entire headquarters building was searched and said the police only searched documents in rooms belonging to three officials. Meanwhile, Ankara police and the prosecutor’s office are said to have received additional information and documents related to further alleged tender rigs. Observers argued the issue would expand into new dimensions. Some trade unions argued that the latest changes made to laws regulating public procurements have harmed transparency, opening the way for misuse. Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers (İMO) President Serdar Harp claimed Thursday it was possible for additional instances of misuse to be unearthed in public procurements in separate local administrations and even the Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ).
Acknowledging the drawbacks in the laws regulating public procurements, Transparency International Turkey (TI-Turkey or Şeffaflık Derneği in Turkish) Chairwoman Oya Özarslan told Today’s Zaman that this harms KİK’s prestige in the eyes of the public. “KİK is no longer an autonomous institute and is, therefore, unable to freely investigate suspected tenders, while it requires huge sums of money from the firms to appeal against a finished tender,” she explained. Özarslan called on the government to revise the KİK law.
