Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Barış Yarkadaş has claimed that an official car valued at TL 5 million (more than 1.5 million euros) has been bought for Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman.
Speaking at a news conference in Parliament on Wednesday, Yarkadaş said: “An official car, a German Mercedes-Maybach S 600, has been purchased for İsmail Kahraman. The car is equipped like an ambulance. Kahraman will travel with a mobile hospital. Subcontracted workers have been deprived of their right to use shuttle buses to go to work due to cost saving measures. They have difficulty going to work while the parliament speaker is getting ready to show off with a German brand car. Cancel the contract and return the car. Do not waste the public’s money.”
Yarkadaş also submitted a parliamentary inquiry to the Parliament Speaker’s Office to be answered by Kahraman in which he asked questions about the number of official cars used by Kahraman and whether the price of his new official car is TL 5 million.
Responding to Yarkadaş’s claims, Kahraman told Kanal D TV on Wednesday that there is no situation that calls for an explanation.
In 2015 Turkey’s top cleric, Mehmet Görmez, attracted widespread criticism over his use of an official car, again a Mercedes, worth TL 1 million ($435,000).