Gaziantep-based textile company Unal Sentetik Dokuma has won another tender. The obtained contract is for the provision of Turkish lira (TRY) 173mn ($4mn) worth of fibre bags to to Turkiye Seker Fabrikalari (Turkseker), which is fully owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund (TWF/TVF).

Local daily Birgun reported the tender success on August 14.

Government-run sugar producer Turkseker will use the bags to prepare 50-kg sugar packages.

Bagged 400mn lira

Unal Sentetik is owned by Mehmet Eyup Ozkececi, an MP for Antep who represents the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and family members.

During Ozkececi’s two-year-long tenure in the parliament, the total sum of the public tenders bagged by Unal Sentetik has hit TRY 400mn.

The company has also provided fibre bags to government-run coal producer the General Directorate of Turkish Coal Enterprises (TKI) and tea producer Caykur.

The TVF holds a 100% stake in the General Directorate of Tea Enterprises (Caykur).

"Tradesman, I am"

After the media circulated stories when Ozkececi won his first public tender, the MP confirmed the news, saying: “I’m a tradesman.”

“Bully for Mr. MP. We're tired of counting how many tenders they've won and calculating the total sum. But, they haven't gotten tired of winning new tenders,” Ugur Kalkan, a local politician from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Antep, told Birgun.

“No matter where you go in the world, it's unethical for someone to be a member of parliament and win public tenders,” he added. 

Kalkan could not contain his curiosity as to whether a person who is not an AKP executive, provincial chair or MP could win so many state company orders.

Those who are both AKP executives and winning tenders should reflect on unemployed young people who commit suicide, those who graduate from university but can find no job in their chosen field despite their degree, those who live below the hunger and poverty lines and the millions who cannot feed their families, said Kalkan.