Erdogan steals refugees money, donations

Mahmoud Al-Batakouchi

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently threatened by a deteriorating economy thanks to his crazy policies and the novel COVID-19 pandemic.

The Turkish President is obsessed with stealing the resources and money of other countries, and even his citizens.

Turkey was accused of seizing hundreds of ventilators and sanitary equipment destined for Spain amid the escalating COVID-19.

Spanish officials said Ankara was holding the ventilators for “the treatment of their own patients”, despite local governments in Spain having already paid millions for them.

European Union (EU) auditors have said that Turkish officials refused to provide information that would help establish whether 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in EU refugee aid money is being properly spent.

The auditors said in a report that Turkey’s family and social policies ministry declined access to the names, ID numbers and addresses of people who benefited from two EU cash-assistance projects.

EU countries agreed in 2016 to give Turkey at least 3 billion euros in Syrian refugee aid money and other incentives to persuade the government in Ankara to stop migrants leaving for Greece.

The bloc said that if the money was properly used it could provide a further 3 billion euros in assistance. Around 3.5 million Syrian refugees are estimated to be on Turkish territory.

Angered by his policies, Turkish citizens refused to take part in a donation campaign that Erdogan has promised to raise 100 billion Turkish Lira to face the COVID-19 crisis.

Instead, Turkish citizens started donating to the CHP Party, an opposition party, the matter that the government has refused and claimed such money should be considered Zakat (alms), and therefore, should be given to the government.

The people of Turkey have apparently lost confidence in Erdogan’s party, as after the alleged coup attempt against Erdogan in July 15, 2016, a fund raising campaign was launched to help the families of 250 people who lost their lives, and 338 million liras were collected, but not a single dime found its way to these families.

The same thing was repeated in the beginning of 2017, as it collected 52 million Turkish liras to support the families of policemen who lost their lives in terrorist attacks, but – as usual – their families did not receive this money.

Piracy of donation funds is more frequent, with seismic taxes being collected, and money in the unemployment fund, over hundreds of billions, are being used by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to benefit the interests of a handful of its people, and to aid Erdogan’s devious policies in the region.