Turkey's President Cites Cockroaches as Reason for Move to New Palace

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended the controversial construction of a grandiose new presidential palace, saying his old office was infested with cockroaches, Huffington Post reports.

 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been accused of squandering state resources when he was prime minister by building the 1,150-room palace, which critics say was illegally built on protected land. In the run-up to Sunday's parliamentary elections, opposition parties have criticized the expenditure.

 

Erdogan moved into the vast structure after he was elected president in August. The former presidential palace was given to the prime minister.

 

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/06/erdogan-cockroaches_n_7525210.html