ABB President Mansur Yavaş made a statement regarding the “SGK debt.”

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) President Mansur Yavaş stated, “The amount of our debts has decreased by 1 billion 774 million 441 thousand dollars in the financial status report of ABB.”

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) President Mansur Yavaş held a press conference regarding the issue of ‘social security premium debts and tax debts of municipalities’ that is on the agenda. Speaking at the press conference held in the ABB Conference Hall, Yavaş provided information about the current debts of the municipality.

Yavaş noted that due to the current state of the national economy, the government has targeted CHP municipalities, saying, “They have announced the top 5 indebted municipalities as CHP municipalities. Why not the top 20, why not the top 50, why not all of them? We look at the statements, and it seems there is an attempt to create a perception that the responsibility for the deterioration of the financial balance of the SGK and the situation in which our retirees, who have worked for years and are deprived of the right to receive a pension sufficient for a decent living, is somehow on CHP municipalities.”

“We announced that SGK debts have increased to 84 million 501 thousand dollars”

Emphasizing that the SGK debt amount announced by Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan belongs to ABB’s subsidiaries, Yavaş stated, “In the financial status report of ABB, the amount of our debts has decreased by 1 billion 774 million 441 thousand dollars. This means that ABB has paid off the entire debt originating from a facility like ANKA Park, which was given absurd amounts of money. Many of these loans were taken out 2-3 years before we came to power, and their first payment date was set at a time when it was anticipated that they would lose the election without paying a single penny, and they were very high-interest debts placed on the shoulders of the new administration. We have paid all of these. We also announced that the SGK debts have increased to 84 million 501 thousand dollars. There are many reasons for this increase. While ABB’s debts are decreasing, there are, of course, reasons for the increase in SGK debts. The state of the national economy is evident. During the pandemic, EGO could not generate revenue, and the free transportation services increased. The public transportation prices were kept at the lowest possible level,” he said.

“4 billion 333 thousand 892 lira of SSK premium payments were made between 2019 and 2024”

Yavaş stated that ABB continues to pay its debts, saying, “In 2019, our municipality had an insurance debt of 16 million 900 thousand lira, and now it is zero. EGO had a debt of 5 million 180 thousand, and now it is zero. ASKİ had a debt of 3 million 500 thousand; now we have no debt. When we took over the companies, they had a debt of 81 million dollars. Our current debt is 174 million dollars, which is 5 billion 571 million lira. They express it as if we have never paid any money. Between 2019 and 2024, in addition to these amounts we paid, SSK premium payments of 4 billion 333 thousand 892 lira were also made by ABB,” he evaluated.

“They are lying that the most indebted municipalities are CHP municipalities”

Emphasizing that in municipalities where there has been a change of administration after the elections, debts remained with CHP municipalities, Yavaş said, “They are lying that the most indebted municipalities are CHP municipalities. Keçiören Municipality has a company with 2,850 employees, and the insurance debt per employee is 456 thousand lira. We have 16 companies with 30 thousand employees. None of our 7 companies doing business externally have any debts. The insurance debt per employee is 190 thousand lira. Again, Mamak Municipality has 2 companies with a debt of 196 million lira. Gölbaşı Municipality has a debt of 272 million lira and 1 company. Kahramankazan Municipality has 1 company with a social security premium debt of 241 million lira. They include these in the category of CHP municipalities and carry out a perception operation,” he said.

On the other hand, Yavaş stated that many municipalities have been purchasing real estate and immovable property in exchange for debts to SGK and claimed that these purchases were made only from the municipalities of the People’s Alliance. Additionally, Yavaş said that the municipal premium debts announced by Minister of Labor Vedat Işıkhan constitute only 10% of SGK revenues and demanded that the remaining 90% of revenues be disclosed.

“The government gives a crow instead of a hawk for its receivables”

Yavaş stated that public institutions also owe ABB aside from its debts, saying, “The government gives a crow instead of a hawk for its receivables. We have receivables from the Ministry of Environment. We have receivables for the roads, bridges, and City Hospital constructed in the period before us. The current amount is 1 billion 325 million. I tell the Minister of Labor that the amount is 1 billion 325 million lira; let’s make a compensation. You will immediately collect a quarter of your receivable. Furthermore, while it is required to give a 10% share from Treasury sales, we also have a receivable of 171 million 609 thousand lira. You are loading all the burden by increasing services on our shoulders, and while you should be thanking us, you are not paying your own debts,” he said.

Yavaş expressed that the social security premium debts are a burden for all municipalities, stating, “This is not just a debt of ABB or CHP municipalities. For years, you have erased the interest on SGK premium debts and made arrangements. Now, what you need to do is this.”