PM Erdoğan was caught red-handed

Although PM Erdoğan has told on his way to Katar that he did not and would not let inconvenient donation of any immovable or movable property belonging to the public, TEKEL building in Istanbul Unkapanı was allocated to the advocate Metropolitan Group.

On his way to Katar for to make a big landing with businessmen, PM responded to a journalist’s question “The terrains of closed enterprises of TEKEL are claimed to be sold with excellent bargain” as, “AKP rulership have donated neither movables nor inmovables of this public. He does not and would not let anyone”, so he ignored the donation of TEKEL building in Unkapanı.

After denationalization of TEKEL, the terrains and and buildings of it were also allocated to groups of capital one by one. As the columnist of Vatan newspaper Necati Doğru has brought to the calendar in this frame, the TEKEL building and terrain in Unkapanı devolved to Ministry of Finance from Privatization Administration(ÖİB) was given to Metropolitan Health Group for the university it will found. The building was stated to be used as the rectorship building of İstanbul Medipol University, permission is needed from Monument Council for construction or modification in the terrain and building. Due to the allocation in question, 300 laborers working in 40 years’ building were transferred to the foundations in Kartal Cevizli at the beginning of 2010.

“We did not donate, we allocated”
Erdoğan’s ongoing statement that they have made some takeovers to municipalities regarding the terrains of some denationalized institutions, terrains have been handed over to some foundation universities by the authorization of law resulted in confusion. Erdoğan telling that they will keep on these implementations ever stated, “These are authorizations of the law. Nothing is illegal here. Donation etc. these are not among the applications of our rulership”.

PM’s pointing out that they act with the authorization of the law show there is a legal guise for “donation”.

Privatization Law as the guise of donation
Regarding to the decision of Privatization High Council(ÖYK) dated May 22, 2009 numbered 2009/27, Unkapanı building and terrain of TEKEL was devolved to Ministry of Finance provided that it would be used for public welfare through “educational and training services”. Ministry of Finance allocated the terrain measuring up to 3 thousand square meters and the building to the Metropolitan Health Group which incorporates Medipol Hospitals. The proviso of the allocation is not known.

As the allocations of the buildings and terrains of corporations on privatization to local administrations and public institutes are done according to the “public welfare” principle of the proper law, this can easily be exploited. This allocation authorization given rein to ÖYK for wealth transfer to the capital exists in the law. According to the Laws on Privatization Implementations numbered 4046 article no2 subclause I, any type of movable property present in the portfolio of ÖİB can be allocated to local administrations or public institutes provided that public welfare is considered. These institutions and administrations can make any savings about the buildings and terrains depending on the proviso to devolve.

According to the report denoting the devolvement of TEKEL Unkapanı building to Ministry of Finance by ÖYK, public welfare is considered by both ÖYK and Ministry of Finance to be obtained by foundation of private university and private tuition.

Responsibilities and authorizations of ÖYK are described in law numbered 4046 article 3. Under the presidency of PM, comprised of four ministers assigned also by PM, ÖYK is the last authority to approve the privatization implementations. ÖYK composition assigned by PM Tayyip Erdoğan comprises Erdoğan, Minister of Finance Mehmet Şimşek, Minister of State Ali Babacan, Minister of Communications Binali Yıldırım and Minister of State Cevdet Yılmaz.

ÖYK being the principal policy maker in denationalization process can assign his decisions arbitrarily. As will be reminded, PETKİM has been sold to the company second on the bid, not to the consortium with the highest bid. The reason of this was not declared to the public and it has been supported by the view that it was based on a public welfare principle.

In fact the devolvement process of TEKEL Unkapanı building to Metropolitan Health Group led to a big public cost just because a tender was not given out even if it was made as saling or renting. İstanbul Chamber of Trade has aspired for this terrain and building in 2004 to use for university but he has been rejected. It was not understandable why this bulding has been allocated to a foundation university instead of many state universities and despite the real public welfare in education depended on the strengthening of state universities.

Metropolitan’s way was smoothed previously too
The terrain of Fahrettin Koca in Esenler, the founder of Metropolitan Health and Educational Services Corporation was enclosed to “Private Health Place” in 2007 with the consensus decision of municipality council despite İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality has been negatory. The terrain at the Göztepe square which formerly belonged to General Directorate of Highways was allocated to the group providing to found a health center. Upon the reaction created in the public by this decision, İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Kadir Topbaş has stated “ we have respect for the decision of the Assembly” concerning the ‘development right’ vested to Metropolitan Health and Educational Services Corporation in Göztepe.

Claiming in his same statement that he was not interested with the identities to which the allocations have been done, Topbaş has told that the terrain in Göztepe had been allocated from General Directorate of Highways providing a health institute to be founded and had not been sold to the company. He has also tried to legitimize the process by his words “the health institute to be founded here will be used by the allocated identity and foundation, then to be devolved to the public again.”

Upon these proceedings infiltrating the press, Metropolitan Group has declared that the terrain in Göztepe has not been allocated but purchased and costed 5 times the current market value. But the current market values are known to be declared low. Even if it has costed 5 times its value, it comes out the extremely valuable terrain has been devolved to the group on low price.

Istanbul Medipol Hospitals expanded with centralization of Esma Hatun Hospital founded in 1996 has made its main exploit during AKP rulership in 2002.

(soL - News Desk)