Fraud allegation shakes Ankara: Debt dispute crisis between ministries

It has emerged that the Ministry of National Education received 52 thousand euros from the Center for European Union Education and Youth Programs, which operates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a high school student internship project in the Netherlands.

After the Netherlands stated, "We have no knowledge of the project," the project was canceled, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ended up in court with the Ministry of National Education (MEB) for failing to return the funds.

According to a report by Birgün, it was learned that the Ministry of National Education (MEB) did not use the thousands of euros it received from the Center for European Union Education and Youth Programs, which operates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for its intended purpose. Consequently, the Center, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of National Education.

NO REFUND WAS MADE

The lawsuit, heard at the Ankara 26th Civil Court of First Instance, was filed in 2021, and the verdict was announced in May 2023. The Center for European Union Education and Youth Programs signed a contract for the "GIS internship project for surveying students in Europe" with the Kazım Karabekir Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School Directorate, which is under the MEB. A grant agreement was signed on November 10, 2016, for the implementation of the project. However, the institutions in the Netherlands where the high school students were to be taken reported that they had no knowledge of the project, and the project was subsequently terminated. Despite the cancellation of the project, the money was not returned.

The Center for European Union Education and Youth Programs, affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanded the return of the 52 thousand 64 euros it had transferred to the MEB. The Center communicated this request in writing on May 20, 2019. However, the MEB still did not return the money. Following this, the legal process began.

The court announced its decision on May 11, 2023. It ruled that the 52 thousand 64 euros be paid to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with an annual interest rate of 3.5 percent starting from June 22, 2019. Additionally, it was decided that the 8 thousand 197 TL application fee, 3 thousand 250 TL court costs, and 68 thousand 870 TL in attorney fees be collected from the Ministry of National Education.

News Source: 12punto