Head of Ankara Architects Chamber expelled from public service

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The Ministry of Interior has expelled the head of the Ankara branch of the Chamber of Architects.

With the decision, Tezcan Karakuş-Candan has been dismissed from her post at the opposition-led Çankara District Municipality.

The decision of the ministry's High Disciplinary Committee came despite a Council of State verdict revoking a permission for investigating Karakuş-Candan on the allegation that "she was receiving a salary from the municipality without going to work."

"We won't be silenced"

"Their purpose is to silence us. We will not be silenced. We won't take a step back," Karakuş-Candan said at a press conference.

The Chamber of Architects released a statement about the issue, saying that the investigation was "unlawful."

The decision was taken because Karakuş-Candan was fighting against irregularities and corruption in the Atatürk Forest Farm, the Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ/METU) and the TOGO towers, said the chamber.

The investigation against Karakuş-Candan had been opened after a complaint by Sinan Aygün, the former head of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce and a former deputy of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP).

Aygün is also the owner of the TOGO towers in Ankara, the capital. The Council of State concluded in February 2021 that the construction of the towers was illegal and they should be demolished. (AEK/VK)