02.06.2026 15:30
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, 'The scandals centered on local governments, which we have sometimes followed with astonishment and sometimes with shame recently, can never be excused. Regardless of who it is, it is our duty to struggle within the framework of law and legislation against those who see the nation's trust as booty. We do not tolerate the waste of public property, its illegal and irregular exploitation, or particularly its use as a stepping stone for personal ambitions.'
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the 164th Anniversary Ceremony of the Turkish Court of Accounts.
Highlights from Erdoğan's statements:
Dear esteemed President and members of our Court of Accounts, valuable employees of our Court of Accounts, respected guests; I greet you with my warmest feelings and affection. I am very pleased to be with you on the 164th anniversary of the Court of Accounts, and I extend my thanks to our President of the Court of Accounts for bringing us together. I wish that the 164th anniversary of our Presidency of the Court of Accounts, one of the oldest institutions of our state, brings blessings to our country and nation, especially to the Court of Accounts family.
Although the Court of Accounts was established under the name Divan-ı Muhasebat on May 29, 1862, by the imperial decree of Sultan Abdülaziz, its roots go back much further. The foundations of Divan-ı Muhasebat lie in the Divan-ı İşraf institution, which performed financial oversight in our past states, from the Karakhanids to the Seljuks and Ghaznavids. In other words, we are talking about a legacy spanning nearly 1,200 years, a deep well of institutional memory and experience.
In this respect, our Presidency of the Court of Accounts is an institution that embodies the principle of the continuity of our state in institutional terms. I congratulate our Court of Accounts, which carries out audit, judicial, and advisory activities to contribute to public accountability and financial transparency, and I pray for success from Allah for its members. I ask Almighty Allah for mercy for those members of the Court of Accounts who have served their state and nation faithfully under this roof and have passed from this world to the eternal realm.
I express my gratitude to retired members of the Court of Accounts who have served this institution, dedicated years of effort, and set an example for new members of this family with their knowledge, experience, and most importantly, a sacred sense of responsibility. I wish great success in their duties to the current employees of the Court of Accounts, who carry out their work with a high level of awareness and fully honor the rich legacy inherited from the past.
"THE VERY PURPOSE OF THE STATE'S EXISTENCE IS FIRST AND FOREMOST JUSTICE"
Dear guests, I wish to emphasize a truth at the very beginning of my words. According to Ibn Khaldun, one of the greatest thinkers of our civilization, it is essential for humans to live within a social order. For social life to function healthily and be transmitted from generation to generation, it is necessary to establish and preserve certain institutions. The state is one such institution.
The very purpose of the state's existence is first and foremost justice. Following that is security. Ultimately, it is peace and well-being. Of course, it is also important to note that in our intellectual map, each of these concepts is shaped by centering the individual and society. Our ancestors, who saw justice as the foundation of the state—meaning the state's very basis—said precisely for this reason, "Preserve the individual so that the state may endure."
From this perspective, the strength of states depends on evaluating both human capital and available resources with a rational approach encompassing wisdom. It is certainly not possible for states that cannot use their resources effectively and efficiently to be powerful and influential. Therefore, sound management of public finances is of great importance.
"ALL ANTI-DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTIONS HAVE LEFT TURKEY BEHIND"
Look, as Turkey, we are a country that has suffered greatly in the past from wastefulness, carelessness, and populism. We remember very well how resources saved by the people through great effort were squandered recklessly. None of us have forgotten how SSK was deliberately bankrupted, how banks were looted, how the state treasury was embezzled, and how rentiers grew rich at the expense of the public.
I also want to say that, along with the greedy and incompetent, one of the biggest blows to public finances has come from the tutelary forces. Starting from the May 27, 1960 coup, whose 66th anniversary passed last week, all anti-democratic interventions have cost this country billions of dollars, impoverished our people, and left Turkey behind.
For instance, the most recent case, the bloody coup attempt of July 15 led by FETÖ, cost the Turkish economy over 350 billion dollars. Even though the coup plotters failed to usurp the national will, they stole thousands of dollars from the pocket of every citizen. Similarly, the Gezi protests, another coup attempt, had a direct cost of 1.5 billion dollars and an indirect cost reaching tens of billions of dollars.
"EACH OF OUR 86 MILLION CITIZENS HAS A RIGHT TO PUBLIC PROPERTY"
While discussing the use of public resources for the benefit of the people, I believe these factors must also be taken into account. Whether through street incidents, FETÖ-like terrorist organizations, or junta supporters, the damage caused by tutelary attempts targeting the national will to our country and the people's pocket is unfortunately not discussed enough. Turkey's struggle against all forms of tutelary centers is also a struggle to completely rid itself of these burdens. Hopefully, when this struggle reaches victory, our country's economic rise will accelerate even more, and the people's resources will flow more abundantly into their pockets.
Of course, I also want to emphasize this point. Just as we see defending the national will as a debt of honor, we do not tolerate the waste of public property, its illegal or improper exploitation, or especially its use as a stepping stone for personal ambitions. Our stance on this issue is very clear.
Each of our 86 million citizens has a right to public property. There is a share for the poor and needy, and for the orphaned and destitute who have no protector. The public treasury is also a trust from future generations to us. Regardless of their position, title, or rank, all personnel working in the public sector must act with sensitivity when using resources—that is our red line. The resources allocated to public personnel due to their duties or positions are not anyone's paternal inheritance. No public official, whatever title is above their door, can or should use it like their personal wallet; we cannot allow this.
Especially the scandals centered around local governments, which we sometimes follow with surprise and sometimes with shame, can never be excused. Whoever they may be, fighting those who view the people's trust as spoils within the framework of law and regulations is our debt of honor. Remember, we are all responsible to our 86 million citizens who expect their taxes to be transformed into the highest quality services.
"THE COURT OF ACCOUNTS PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE HERE AS WELL"
Our expectation from the Court of Accounts is that, while protecting the people's trust through judicial and audit activities on one hand, it actively contributes to the construction of the Turkey Century through its advisory work on the other. The need for the reports prepared by our Court of Accounts, considering administrative discretion, especially in the preparation of national strategies, is increasing day by day.I believe that our Court of Accounts, which has the ability to see different institutions, processes, and methods simultaneously, will continue to provide significant services to our nation and state for many more years with a data-driven, system-based, and value-added approach.
Dear valued members of our Court of Accounts, very valuable friends; modern public administration is a transparent and accountability-based system where citizens and the state communicate at eye level. In this system, the stricter, more planned, and result-oriented the financial audit is, the more efficient public services become. Economic growth, rising welfare levels, and the establishment of a climate of peace and security in all areas are directly related to the management and audit of public finances. The Court of Accounts plays a critical role here as well.
"WE HAVE FURTHER EXPANDED THE SCOPE OF THE COURT OF ACCOUNTS"
With the steps we have taken in the last 23 years, we have further expanded the scope of the Court of Accounts. Particularly with Law No. 6085 enacted in 2010, we restructured our Court of Accounts to meet the needs of the 21st century and align with international standards. Through this regulation, we enabled our Court of Accounts Presidency to renew itself as a supreme audit institution and a high accounting jurisdiction. Thanks to the democratization reforms we implemented to strengthen the constitutional rule of law, the Court of Accounts gained the authority to audit institutions and organizations that use public resources.
Dear President, you have just explained in detail. The Court of Accounts has achieved a significant transformation in three areas, all of which are supported: digital audit, integration of new technologies into the system, and widespread use of data analytics. We consider every effort to increase efficiency by eliminating bureaucratic processes that do not produce public benefit as extremely valuable.
Last November, we were greatly pleased with the establishment of the Union of Turkish States Courts of Accounts in Istanbul, with the participation of the courts of accounts of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. I believe that the union, over which our country will hold the term presidency for three years, will bring a different dimension to our relations with the Turkish world. Hopefully, we will open the doors of a new era with the 13th Summit of Heads of State of the Organization of Turkish States, which we will host in the fall. I say may God be our helper and supporter.
With these thoughts, I wish once again that the 164th anniversary of the establishment of our Court of Accounts brings goodness to our country and nation, and I extend my heartfelt thanks to all members of our Court of Accounts for their efforts, dedication, and services. I greet you once again with love and respect. Stay well, stay healthy.