Diyanet files lawsuit against Birgün

While the 'Audi A8' luxury car rented for the President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş has been on the public agenda for days, another striking claim came from Birgün columnist İsmail Arı.

In Arı's report, it was alleged that Diyanet requested items such as 'kebab and steak' for the meal to be provided to candidates at the Elazığ Harput Religious Specialization Center.

According to the information provided by Arı, while the tender file included phrases such as 'Beef; must be obtained from cattle between 1.5-2 years old,' a statement regarding the matter came from Diyanet's social media account.

Following Birgün's reporting on this catering tender, Diyanet claimed that the news, which was prepared based on the tender file it had prepared itself, did not reflect the truth and stated, “Legal action has been initiated against the newspaper.”

Diyanet's statement included the following: “Out of the 7 bids submitted for the tender held at the Elazığ Harput Academy Center, 4 were deemed valid. Thus, the tender for 190 candidate religious officials for 210 days, covering 3 meals a day, was set at 325 TL (excluding VAT), which is below the maximum of 375 TL determined per person. Our Presidency will resort to legal means regarding the newspaper's distorted news.”

News Source: 12punto