MP: Electricity distribution companies owe 3.6 billion lira to state
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Private electricity distribution companies do not make the required payments to the state-run Turkish Electricity Distribution Corporation (TEDAŞ) as its receivables have reached 3.6 billion lira (~500 million USD), an opposition lawmaker has revealed.
"TEDAŞ made a loss of 41 million 878 thousand lira in 2018. In 2019, this loss increased to 389 million 440 thousand lira," main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Atila Sertel said at the parliament's Public Business Enterprises Upper Committee meeting yesterday (February 24).
"TEDAŞ is making losses but cannot collect its receivables as large as 3.6 billion because of privatization," he said.
When 18 electricity distribution companies were privatized in 2013, it was said that the state would have a 12.7 billion lira (~1.76 billion USD) revenue, Sertel noted.
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Among the companies that are indebted to TEDAŞ are two of what is dubbed as "the gang of five," the pro-government companies that have undertaken large-scale infrastructure and construction projects over the past 10 years, said Sertel.
"Some members of the gang of five a becoming a cartel in energy distribution," he said.
The debts of Cengiz, Kolin and Enerjisa as well as their business partners to TEDAŞ should be disclosed, he added.
The MP further said that these companies rented the buildings owned by TEDAŞ to base stations and advertising companies but did not give TEDAŞ its share from these revenues.
"From 2014 to 2018, the distribution companies had a 147 million 891 thousand lira revenue but did not give a share to TEDAŞ although it owns these buildings," he remarked.
The Court of Accounts also found that the companies collected their receivables from subscribers but did not make payments to TEDAŞ, he said. (HA/VK)