A Moldovan woman who was employed by the Ankara Municipality during the time in office of former Justice and Development Party (AKP) Mayor Melih Gökçek was paid a monthly salary by the municipality although she worked strictly as a personal masseuse at Gökçek’s residence, according to a document that was published in the Birgün daily on Thursday.
Ana A. was hired in 2012 by Anket A.Ş., a municipal subsidiary, as a physical therapist, but she worked only at Gökçek’s home and was paid a municipal salary of TL 3,800 a month. The woman returned to work at the subsidiary one month before Gökçek was forced to resign in October 2017 upon a demand from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Gökçek has often been accused of corruption and wasting taxpayers’ money during his term as mayor of Ankara between 1994 and 2017; however, no criminal charges have ever been filed against him.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavaş won the mayoral election in Ankara in the March 31 local elections, dealing a heavy blow to the years-long AKP rule in the country’s capital.
