In the 2025 audit report of the Court of Accounts regarding İzmir's Çiğli Municipality, it was determined that deductions were made from the salaries of some civil servants for "food bank" and "scholarship" purposes. The report stated that these deductions constituted fundraising activities but were carried out without obtaining the necessary permits.
As part of the audit, the municipality's civil servant payrolls were examined. The examination revealed that deductions made from personnel salaries were transferred to certain organizations; however, it was noted that the municipality did not meet the authorization and permit requirements stipulated in the legislation for collecting aid in this manner.
In the assessment included in the 20th finding of the Court of Accounts report, it was emphasized that the practice was inconsistent with the provisions of the Law on Fundraising No. 2860. According to the law, fundraising activities must be conducted by obtaining permission from the competent authority.
MUNICIPALITY REPORTED THAT THE PRACTICE HAS ENDED
The report recalled that the permit for fundraising is granted by the district governor's office or the governor's office, depending on the scope of the activity. The district governor's office is specified as the competent authority for fundraising activities within the borders of a district, while the governor's office is the authority for activities covering more than one district in a province.
It was reported that Çiğli Municipality agreed with the Court of Accounts' finding and stated that the deductions made from civil servant salaries for food bank and scholarship purposes were terminated in 2026. However, the audit report stated that the municipality did not provide any supporting documentation to verify this statement.
The Court of Accounts stated that the practice of collecting aid through deductions from civil servant salaries without obtaining permission from the relevant authorities must be terminated. The finding in the report demonstrated that deductions made from the salaries of municipal personnel must be evaluated within the framework of legal permit requirements.
News Source: 12punto
