In addition to security personnel, 1,804 people work at the controversial presidential palace of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Presidential Secretary-General Fahri Kasırga has said, the Sözcü daily reported on Saturday.
Kasırga, who was answering questions from deputies during budget talks in Parliament, also said that a thousand people have been added to the staff of the palace in one year.
Thirteen out of the 1,804 serve former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, while 31 work for former President Abdullah Gül.
In addition to vehicles belonging to the presidential palace, 247 cars were rented to provide service, Kasırga said.
According to Sözcü, Kasırga declined to provide information about the construction cost of the palace.
A total of 11,537 village heads (muhtars) have attended 29 meetings organized at the palace. Only the lunches of the muhtars were supplied by the palace, while their travel expenses were covered by the Ministry of Interior, Kasırga added.
With more than 1,150 rooms, the legality of the construction and the cost of Erdoğan’s presidential palace in Ankara have been at the center of debates in Turkey for three years.