Erdogan-linked foundation faces fresh barrage of accusations of nepotism, abuse
A whistleblower has made claims that, in addition to hundreds of job hirings made at TUGVA's request, the organization was also allocated over 1,000 government-owned buildings to use as dormitories for its members.
A youth foundation linked to the younger son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan found itself mired in fresh controversy after a former employee leaked incriminating documents exposing how it served as a vehicle for installing party loyalists in the bureaucracy.
Metin Cihan, a respected independent journalist, published lists provided to him by the former employee of the Turkish Youth Foundation, or TUGVA, on his Twitter feed containing names of hundreds of people who were allegedly either given or considered for jobs at state institutions, including the military, the judiciary and the police, at TUGVA’s behest.
TUGVA, along with several other pious youth organizations with links to Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), were allocated over 1,000 government-owned buildings as dormitories for their own members at a time when Turkish students are facing acute accommodation shortages across the country, according to the unidentified whistleblower.
Cihan posted a screenshot of his communications with the whistleblower but blotted out the sender’s name. Several Erdogan-linked foundations alongside TUGVA allegedly benefited from generous government subsidies, including from state-owned banks. In October 2016, TUGVA was granted tax exempt status.
