English Wall: Turkish Municipality’s Office Furniture Seized Over Unpaid Debts

Foreclosure officials on September 11 confiscated the furniture from the office of Tarsus District Mayor Ali Boltaç, a member of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Mersin province, due to the municipality’s unpaid severance pay debts.

Mayor Boltaç stated that the three-month-long efforts of the municipality’s legal department to reconcile were rejected by the attorney handling the execution files. Despite partial payments, the property was seized in an office, which the mayor described as being done with “bad intentions.”

IMPORTANT PUBLIC PUBLISHED

On 11.09.2024, Tarsus Enforcement Directorate Officers, together with Lawyer İsmail Gökmen, came to Tarsus Mayor Ali Boltaç’s office and informed that they want to implement the detention process. A period of 3 months from the Legal Directorate of our Borough… pic.twitter.com/gRIvB9FLS3

— Ali Boltac (@aliboltac) September 11, 2024

The total debt was initially 5.48 million Turkish liras ($161,200), but due to enforcement, it had “maliciously” increased to 10.8 million liras ($317,700), according to Boltaç.

The municipality’s request to make equal installment payments, given that it has made equal payments to all workers eligible for severance pay, was also rejected, and enforcement proceedings were initiated. Boltaç described the enforcement actions as having “malicious intent.”

The mayor emphasized that the municipality has not been able to pay the interest on the debts and called for the interest to be waived and to restructure the payments.

He further noted that this debt was not from his term, which began with the 2024 local elections, but from previous periods.

On August 21, the furniture in the office room of Antalya Mayor Döşemealtı Menderes Dal was also seized from the CHP due to an unpaid debt of about 100 million Turkish liras ($2.95M) to the creditor company.

Several mayors have noted that the municipalities they took over after the 2024 local elections were heavily in debt. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have intensified their attack against the municipalities of the opposition party, which some have seen as revenge for the poor performance of the ruling coalition in the elections.