Revealed in Court of Accounts report: TRT spent a fortune on costumes in 2023

TRT, the state broadcaster that operates with citizens' taxes, has come to the agenda this time with its exorbitant expenditures, in addition to the censorship it applied to the opposition during the election period.

In the 2023 audit report prepared following the Court of Accounts' financial audits of TRT, it was revealed that the institution spent a fortune on guest hosting, advertising and promotional expenses, rent, and costume costs.

295.2 MILLION TL FOR RENT

According to the report by Birgün, TRT paid 295 million 259 thousand TL under the name of "rental fees" in 2023. It was noted that 78 million 140 thousand TL of the total 295.2 million TL rental expenditure consisted of domestic and international office building rental costs. It was reported that the institution also paid 19 million 628 thousand TL for a building rented after the evacuation of its office buildings in Istanbul Ulus and the Harbiye campus for seismic retrofitting and restoration.

HUGE ACCOMMODATION EXPENSES

It was recorded that TRT spent 67 million 582 thousand TL in 2023 under the name of "personnel accommodation expenses," and that 14.4 million TL of the total 67.5 million TL personnel accommodation expenditure was spent on non-institutional guests.

According to the Court of Accounts report, TRT used 16 million 560 thousand TL for venue and studio rentals, 12 million 962 thousand TL for land rentals, and 78 million 649 thousand TL for vehicle rentals. TRT also spent 26 million 959 thousand TL on tools, equipment, and gear used in programs.

The amount TRT spent on "services provided from outside" was also calculated. Accordingly, 3 billion 420 million 106 thousand TL was transferred for news and news programs produced outside the institution.

PROMOTION AND GUEST HOSTING

According to the report prepared following the financial audits of TRT, the institution's advertising and guest hosting expenses amounted to 370 million 268 thousand TL. The amount TRT paid for visuals, decor, costumes, makeup, and accessories was recorded as 12 million 172 thousand TL in 2023.

EXORBITANT PAYMENT FOR CLEANING

On the other hand, while TRT employed personnel through firms for 190 million 72 thousand TL, it spent 199 million 705 thousand TL to transport this personnel. 199 million 183 thousand TL was invested in private security services, 200 million 832 thousand TL was spent on repairs, maintenance, and upkeep, 16 million 562 thousand TL went to travel expenses for individuals outside the institution, and there were 100 million 900 thousand TL in cleaning expenses outsourced by the institution.