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In a plot aimed at discrediting İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu ahead of the local elections in March, a fully operational public bus in the city was falsely depicted as broken down in a commercial shot for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The vehicle was a privately owned bus operated under the supervision and regulations of the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (İBB) İstanbul Electric Tramway and Tunnel Enterprises (İETT).
According to a tweet shared by the İBB Haber news portal, the AKP persuaded the driver of a fully operational private bus to feign a breakdown and recorded a staged scene.
İBB Haber posted a video that starts with a man asking the driver, “You said the bus is isn’t working, didn’t you?” and received the answer “That job is done.” The man then says “It’s a job for the AKP.”
Film gibi kumpası izleyin
AK Parti’nin, İstanbul’da bozuk olmayan bir özel halk otobüsünü şoförle anlaşıp bozukmuş gibi gösterdiği, sonra da set kurup çekim yaptığı ortaya çıktı. pic.twitter.com/Vgeo1kh5VS
— İBB Haber (@ibbhabercomtr) January 14, 2024
It is then claimed in the video that the driver of the bus did not set off on his normal route on January 12 and entered “malfunction” information into the system on the instructions of the bus owner.
The vehicle later goes to the Eyüpsultan district for a commercial shoot.
İBB Haber further said in the video that following the detection of this “caught-in-the-act” situation, the owner’s license for the vehicle was revoked and investigations revealed that the vehicle owner allowed the bus to be used for the fake advertising in exchange for TL 15,000 ($498).
The police statement from the driver, identified only by the initials İ.Ç., shared by journalist İsmail Saymaz on X, revealed that the film crew opened the engine cover at the back of the bus and placed a device inside to generate artificial smoke, creating the illusion that the vehicle was malfunctioning.
The driver further mentioned that they subsequently started filming according to a script, with extras and a lead actor waiting around the bus, employing expressions such as “Did it break down again?” and “We’re going to be late for work.”
İ.Ç. also said he feels “ashamed” and is very angry with himself due to the events.
Saymaz also shared a document indicating that the İstanbul Governor’s Office granted permission for the shoot.
İşte, AK Parti’nim reklam filmi için İstanbul Valiliği tarafından verilen izin.
Ve İETT otobüsünün sürücüsü İ.Ç.’nin kumpası anlattığı ifadesi. pic.twitter.com/9ltp0bAUP3— İsmail Saymaz (@ismailsaymaz) January 16, 2024
İmamoğlu formerly highlighted the rising number of sabotage incidents against the İBB-run public services, such as objects being placed on metro escalators to put them out of service and systems disrupted along transport routes, as the March elections approach.
Following sabotage targeting İBB-run transport services, pro-government media outlets report on the disruptions to portray İmamoğlu’s main opposition, the Republican People’s Party (CHP)-run municipality negatively.
İmamoğlu ended the years-long AKP rule in İstanbul when he defeated the AKP’s mayoral candidate twice in the local elections of 2019. He won the rerun election by a larger margin than the first, which had been canceled due to supposed irregularities.
He faces a political ban, if upheld by the appeals court, on charges of insulting a public official due to his remarks about the election officials.