Salaries skyrocket: Board members at PTT, which broke loss records, earned a fortune

PTT, one of Turkey's long-established institutions with a 185-year history, has entered a serious financial bottleneck, having incurred a loss of 8 billion 605 million liras over the last six years. While the institution's loss column has grown during this period, the amount of payments made to board members has also increased significantly compared to previous years.

While a total of 9 million 268 thousand TL was paid to six board members in 2023, the total amount paid reached 20 million 26 thousand TL in 2024, despite the number of members dropping to four. Thus, each board member was paid over 5 million TL. The loss announced by the institution in 2024 reached 3 billion 613 million liras.

According to the report by Deniz Ayhan from Sözcü, the names serving on the board of directors in 2024 include survey engineer Mükremin Kara, industrial engineers Emrah Yoğurtçu and Hakan Gülten, and Deputy Minister of Interior Governor Mehmet Aktaş. During the same period, four out of a total of five members served actively.

It was stated that a 116 percent raise was applied to the salaries of PTT board members in 2024. Evaluating the issue, CHP Çorum Deputy Mehmet Tahtasız said, “PTT is in terrible debt, but board members received a 116 percent raise in their salaries, which is above the inflation rate of the Turkish Statistical Institute. More than 20 million liras were paid in 2024. While a total of 9 million 268 thousand TL was paid annually to 6 board members in 2023, the figure paid in 2024 rose to 20 million 26 thousand liras, even though the number of members fell to 4.”

According to the Court of Accounts' audit, three of the four board members serving in 2024 are individuals who previously worked at the AKP-run Istanbul Municipality. Information regarding the 2025 board member fees for the institution has not yet been shared.