New development in corruption investigation at Yunus Emre Institute

An investigation launched last year by the Inspection Board of the General Directorate of Foundations revealed allegations that 400 million lira in corruption had been committed at the Yunus Emre Institute through fake invoices. Following this investigation, a criminal complaint was filed with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The prepared indictments state that the institute made payments of millions of lira to various companies by issuing fake invoices for goods and services that were never received. It was stated that the foundation's resources were transferred through fake invoices issued to companies established and subsequently transferred by Enes Ateş.

While irregularities were detected in the procurement processes, it was noted that "Approval" requests prepared by suspects Mustafa Duru and Murat Çakır were processed with the authorization of Şeref Ateş. It emerged that purchases were carried out irregularly by being split to avoid exceeding Ateş's spending limit. It was determined that newly established firms issued invoices under the claim of providing the lowest price, but these transactions were conducted without a commission decision.

An indictment was prepared against Abdullah Yılmaz, Enes Ateş, Mustafa Duru, Murat Çakır, Safiye Yurduseven, and 18 other suspects, seeking up to 7 years in prison for "abuse of trust due to service." A second indictment was also filed against the same suspects on charges of "laundering assets derived from crime." The indictments emphasized that the foundation was unjustly harmed through fake invoices.

While the judicial process regarding the indictments accepted by the Ankara 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance continues, the file of the fugitive Şeref Ateş has been separated.