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5.7 billion euros were collected at the Turkish TV fundraising gala “Türkiye Tek Yürek”. The donors, however, raise many questions.
Ankara – At the mega fundraising gala “Türkiye Tek Yürek” (translated: Turkey is a heart) for the earthquake victims, over 115.146 billion TL (5.7 billion euros) were collected. The gala was broadcast live in Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Turkish-controlled side of Cyprus by 213 TV channels and 562 radio stations. Now the donors are also raising questions, because in addition to private individuals, state institutions have also donated.
The largest donation came from the Central Bank of Turkey with 30 billion TL (about 1.5 billion euros). The opposition fears a hidden game behind it. “If this money goes into the budget, the necessary expenditure would be made from the state budget and controlled by the Court of Auditors. The money will be taken from the budget and hidden by the Court of Auditors,” MP Faiz Öztirak (CHP) said in a press conference.
Big gala for earthquake victims: donations from state-owned companies
At the event, banks and companies that are partly owned by the state pledged to donate 46 billion TL (approx. 2.3 billion euros) to the earthquake victims. This also includes the airline Turkish Airlines. The donors also include the telecommunications companies Türkcell and Türk Telekom, which have come under criticism. After the earthquake, the companies barely managed to restore the telephone and internet network.
Entrepreneur close to the government receives state aid after making a donation
Contractors such as Mehmet Cengiz, head of Cengiz Holding, were also included in the program and donated 3 billion TL (approx. 150 million euros). A short time later, the company was exempted from extensive taxes and social security contributions for a large project in Konya and also receives extensive subsidies. The company is part of the “Gang of Five” — one of five companies that get the most government contracts and have been criticized by the opposition for their close ties to the government and for paying bribes.
Donations go to the civil protection authority AFAD
The donations are to go primarily to the AFAD civil protection agency and the Turkish crescent. But they are mainly criticized because they reacted too late and are badly coordinated. The opposition criticizes that many people died as a result. In addition, AFAD has been criticized for its incompetence. Several directors are theologians who are unsuitable for their posts. One of them is AFAD Director of Natural Disasters and Emergency Situations Ismail Palakoglu. He previously worked for the religious authority “Diyanet”.