These are the primary findings of the investigation:
- The annual budget of the Turkish Diyanet has increased elevenfold since the AKP came to power (in 2016 it was 6482 billion TL). Diyanet, which reports directly to the office of the Turkish Prime Minister, now employs 150,000 people.
- Diyanet accounts are not transparent; the FOI requests we made in Turkey yielded no credible results. The 2015 accounts showed that €7 million had been spent with no clear explanation. When the Turkish Court of Accounts began an investigation, Diyanet claimed it was a simple 'mistake'. In Turkey, the Diyanet president was forced to return the €350,000 Mercedes he had bought with Diyanet funds. President Erdogan subsequently gave him the same car as a gift. In France, DITIB, the French equivalent of Diyanet, bought a €246,000 apartment for its president.
- The Turkish Diyanet has denied any official links to Diyanet mosques in Europe, which are described as 'independent associations established in accordance with the laws of each country'. Nevertheless, imams are appointed by Diyanet and the heads of each association are either officially employed or affiliated with the Turkish consulate. Accounts from France reveal that the Turkish consulate has donated more than €3 million to the French Diyanet.
- IIn 2012, a significant change occurred in Germany: DITIB mosques were forced to organise political lectures for their members. While their official aim is to 'help the community to better understand German democracy', only speakers from the AKP have ever been invited to give lectures.
