Turkish minister defends spending on posh cars as 'peanuts'

Ankara: Turkey's finance minister has come under criticism for defending government spending of USD 1.3 billion on luxury cars and other vehicles for officials as "peanuts".

Mehmet Simsek made the remark last week as he tried to justify a move by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who promised to provide an armored Mercedes to the country's top Muslim cleric. The cleric had earlier returned such a vehicle, following public uproar over the extravagance.

Simsek said the sum was "peanuts" compared to Turkey's budget. Addressing crowds at election rallies ahead of Turkey's June 7 elections, outraged opposition party leaders said Sunday the money could have been spent to improve pensions or to aid Palestinians.

Erdogan has himself been criticised for moving into a 1,150-room palace that opponents say was constructed despite a court injunction.