Diyanet's Scandinavian trip brought to Parliament: 'What is the total public cost of this trip?'

CHP Gaziantep MP Hasan Öztürkmen has brought the matter to Parliament to clarify allegations that President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş, his wife, and deputy presidents participated in the trip, accompanied by private secretaries, protocol, security, and press teams, and that in addition to the per diem for the 7-day trip, flight and accommodation expenses were also covered by the Diyanet budget.

"MET WITH PUBLIC BACKLASH"

Öztürkmen stated, "Despite the Ministry of Treasury and Finance recently publishing austerity measures emphasizing 'foreign trips,' the Presidency of Religious Affairs' use of its massive budget, which surpasses many ministries, for such private events is being met with public backlash."

5 QUESTIONS FOR CEVDET YILMAZ

Öztürkmen said, "While the Turkish people are struggling with hunger, citizens are trying to survive in an economic bottleneck by collecting rotten fruits and vegetables from trash, and retirees are spending their evenings in parks and gardens because they cannot afford to go home, the Presidency of Religious Affairs is organizing a trip to Finland and Scandinavian countries with a large delegation. Why was this trip deemed necessary? What kind of examinations and investigations were conducted in the Scandinavian countries within the scope of the trip, and what contributions will this trip make to the development of the Islamic religion and to the society living more healthily and peacefully?"

In his motion submitted to the Speaker of the TBMM for Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz to answer, Hasan Öztürkmen raised the following questions:

1- Are the allegations that a delegation from the Presidency of Religious Affairs carried out a trip to Scandinavian countries true? If true, why was this event hidden from the public? Why was no post made on Diyanet's official media channels?

2 - How many people participated in the delegation in question, who were the members of this delegation, and what were the justifications that made their participation mandatory?

3 - Has the Ministry of Treasury and Finance examined the economic dimension of this trip?

4 - What was the total public cost of this trip?

5 - Were the members of the delegation who participated in the trip warned not to share anything regarding the trip?

News Source: 12punto