Austerity misses the Palace: Erdoğan's protection expenses equal 90,000 pension payments

The public austerity measures announced by Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek in May have missed the Palace.

According to data from the General Directorate of Security (EGM), the Presidential Protection Department, to which the bodyguards of AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are attached, spent 1 billion 133 million TL in the first six months of this year.

According to a report by Birgün, when this expenditure is compared to the lowest pension of 12,500 TL, it is equivalent to the monthly salary of approximately 90,000 retirees.

The expenditure made by the Presidential Protection Department in the first five months surpassed the 1 billion TL spent in the entirety of 2023 within the first half of this year.

The job description of the Presidential Protection Department, which also protects Erdoğan's family, is as follows:

‘‘The Presidential Protection Department is responsible for close protection services for the President and family members, primarily regarding their life safety and dignity, during their residence, workplace, and all types of transportation and transit. It is also tasked with ensuring the security of all premises belonging to the Presidency and any building or facility where the President is present.’’

News Source: 12punto