Turkey Diyanet Foundation dismisses Gaza donation fund allegations

Three high-level executives at the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV), including General Manager İzani Turan and Deputy General Managers Recep Şükrü Balkan and Fatih Kayacan, have been removed from their positions. The dismissals follow allegations that donations intended for Gaza were diverted into investment funds.

Reports suggested that the removed officials received high monthly salaries in addition to their pensions and utilized foundation resources for personal benefits. Some sources within the Presidency of Religious Affairs called for legal accountability regarding the management of the Gaza donations.

The TDV has officially denied these allegations, stating that the foundation has no assets in the liquidated funds mentioned in recent reports. The foundation clarified that its only fund investment is the TLK fund, which operates according to interest-free finance principles. TDV maintained that the management changes were part of a long-standing agenda of the Board of Trustees and were not related to the fund controversy. The foundation has initiated legal proceedings against those spreading the allegations.