Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has submitted a 52-article omnibus bill to parliament that includes writing off fines issued for failing to comply with government measures against the coronavirus pandemic, such as obligatory face masks and curfews, Bold Medya reported on Friday.
AKP parliamentary group deputy chairman Mustafa Elitaş said people who had already paid the fines would not get their money back.
The new law will write off 2.7 billion lira ($145 million) in fines imposed on thousands of people for violating the curfew and the requirement to wear face masks during the pandemic.
As part of the fight against Covid, Turkish police imposed fines ranging from 392 lira to 5,000 lira on people who violated preventative measures.
The Supreme Court of Appeals ruled last year that it was not legal for police to fine people who were not wearing masks.
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