Sami Özuslu: Arıklı Will Be Held Accountable for 200 Million TL

Özuslu highlighted that the failure to distribute and collect fines from fixed traffic radars has caused significant financial damage to the public treasury.

He stated, "It is becoming clear that Arıklı, fearing the results of the Audit Office investigation, has been compelled to tender the project after 17 months."

Özuslu's statement reads:

"ARİKLİ WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR 200 MILLION"

For a full 17 months, the distribution of 'fixed traffic radar offense penalty forms' that have not been distributed due to trivial excuses has finally been tendered. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation's statement, the tender is expected to be completed by mid-June.

The number of fines for the entire year of 2023 and the first half of 2024 is approximately 120,000, with an estimated monetary value of 200 million TL. Due to Arıklı's other accounts, the distribution and collection of fines have not been made, causing serious financial damage to the public treasury. Worse still, the personnel of the Traffic Training Park, who were paid with revenue from fixed radar fines, have been condemned to unemployment, and the Park, where children are educated about traffic, has become dysfunctional. Worst of all, the deterrent power of fixed radars, which have been in service since 2006, to reduce speed in traffic, has been lost, and the number of fatal accidents and deaths in traffic has reached record levels.

We have raised this issue numerous times both in parliament and in the press, and the Audit Office, to which I personally complained, has initiated an audit. It is becoming clear that Arıklı, fearing the results of the Audit Office investigation, has been compelled to tender the project after 17 months. Whenever the issue was raised, Arıklı repeatedly claimed that 'the contract with the company operating the fixed radars had ended' and stated that 'from now on, they would work with the Aselsan company in Turkey on radar matters.' Now that the tender has been opened, it also concludes that the contract with the current company continues.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation is primarily responsible for both the hundreds of millions of lira losses to the public treasury due to the non-distribution of fixed traffic radar fines for one and a half years and the increase in accidents. On the other hand, the Ministry of Finance, which has not monitored the revenue items of fixed radar revenues for one and a half years, is also responsible for the loss of revenue and the incidents at the Traffic Park.

With the current tender, other questions and problems will also arise. Will all approximately 100-120 thousand fines that have not been distributed for such a long time be distributed retroactively, or will they be canceled before a certain date? If retroactive distribution is made, will the collection of all accumulated fines not put drivers in financial difficulty?

Unfortunately, this is the result of bad administration, negligence, and lawlessness!

While continuing to closely monitor the process, I call on the Audit Office Presidency to accelerate the audit initiated five months ago and to communicate the findings to the relevant authorities as soon as possible.

Everyone will be held accountable for their actions!"