The State Demands the Return of Payments Made to Orphans Four Years Later

People’s Party (HP) leader Kudret Özersay criticized the Finance Ministry’s decision to demand the return of payments that had been provided to children who had lost their parents.

According to Özersay, the payments were received by young people during the period between finishing school and entering university. The ministry considers these sums overpayments and is demanding that the money be returned around four years after the payments were made.

Özersay said that some young people had been faced with debts amounting to approximately 100,000 Turkish liras. According to him, such a situation contradicts the principles of a social state.

The politician noted that a transitional period between finishing school and beginning university studies is entirely natural, and that young people cannot enroll at a university immediately after receiving their diploma.

Özersay stressed that even if the payment error was identified as a result of an audit, he considers it unfair to demand that children return the money years later. According to him, some recipients have already been forced to arrange installment plans to repay the debt.

«The state, which should protect these young people, is confronting them with a substantial debt,» — Özersay said.

He also criticized the authorities for making various decisions on debt write-offs during election periods, while now making demands against children who have lost their parents.