Diyanet's Hajj and Umrah expenditures to remain under Court of Accounts audit

It was planned to remove the expenditures related to the Hajj and Umrah services of the Presidency of Religious Affairs from the audit of the Court of Accounts. However, with a last-minute change made to the omnibus bill accepted in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), this regulation was withdrawn.

According to the report by Sözcü, the initial proposal stipulated that transactions and expenditures related to Hajj and Umrah travels be audited only by the Presidency and the Presidency of the Republic. However, upon criticism from the opposition, the term 'Court of Accounts' was added alongside the 'Presidency' expression.

İYİ Party Afyonkarahisar Deputy Şeref Olgun had made a statement before the change, saying, "The attempt to escape the Court of Accounts audit is Diyanet's ticket to avoid accountability."

Furthermore, it was revealed that the Presidency of Religious Affairs, which has a 2025 budget of 130 billion 119 million TL, spent 83 million 422 thousand 140 TL on book printing in the first five months of the year.

News Source: 12punto