The Turkish presidency’s annual expenses increased by 160 percent from 2017 to 2018, according to a recent report by the country’s Supreme Court of Accounts, the Sözcü daily reported on Tuesday.
The total amount of expenditures was nearly TL 362 million ($63.5 million) in 2017, growing to TL 943 million ($165 million) the next year. The annual budget for the presidency is TL 305 million ($53.5 million), the report said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s expenditures since he was elected in 2014 have drawn heavy criticism from the opposition.
According to the report, increased personnel and accommodation expenses were the main causes of ballooning spending.