The Red Crescent humanitarian group came under fire from opposition parties and media on Sunday for selling rather than donating tents to those made homeless by the deadly quake this month.
The Turkish Red Crescent has sold 2,050 tents to the local Ahbap charity for 46 million Turkish lira ($2.4 million), the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet reported.
"This is a scandal," said Murat Agirel, the Cumhuriyet journalist who broke the story about the sale of aid tents.
"Turkey's largest charity, the Red Crescent, sold tents instead of distributing them for free to those in need when people were begging for them three days after the earthquake."
Earthquake aid collection at Expo City Dubai - in pictures
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Volunteer pack aid in Expo City Dubai on Sunday to be delivered to those impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National -
The initiative was part of the UAE's Bridges of Giving campaign, led by Emirates Red Crescent -
Volunteers turned out in force for the humanitarian event on Sunday -
Boxes filled with vital supplies will be delivered to quake zones in Turkey and Syria -
It is the latest aid effort organised under the Bridges of Giving campaign -
People were happy to give their free time during the weekend to support those in need -
Staple goods were packed in boxes to be sent off to Turkey and Syria as part of the UAE's relief mission -
Boxes are packed at Dubai Exhibition Centre at Expo City -
The crucial supplies will help those struggling to piece their lives together after the natural disaster -
An army of volunteers lent a helping hand to the humanitarian effort
Turkish Red Crescent head Kerem Kinik confirmed on Twitter that Kizilay Cadir, a subsidiary of his organisation in charge of producing the tents, provided them to Ahbap "at cost price".
"The Red Crescent's co-operation with Ahbap is moral, reasonable and ethical," Mr Kinik said.
But several opposition figures called for the resignation of the Red Crescent chairman.
Syrian earthquake casualties in Abu Dhabi - in pictures
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Eissa Shaheen, 10, at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi. He is one of 10 Syrians receiving treatment in the UAE on the directives of Sheikha Fatima, Mother of the Nation. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Patient Mohammed Al Qablawi at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City -
Fedaa Shaheen at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City -
An image of Mahmoud, younger brother of Mohammed Al Qablawi -
An image of Mohammed Al Qablawi's mother -
Dr Zialyazan Sabbagh, chairman of the trauma committee at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City
"Shame on you," Meral Aksener, chairwoman of the nationalist Iyi Party, said on Twitter.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused those who criticise the Red Crescent of being "dishonest and vile".
Lands cracked by earthquake in Turkey - in pictures
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Cracks on a farm in Kahramanmaras, the epicentre of the first 7.8-magnitude earthquake, in south-eastern Turkey. AFP -
The ground has cracked open in various areas as a result of the earthquake in Turkey and neighbouring Syria. AFP -
A motorway damaged by the quake, in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters -
A destroyed road near Koseli village, in Kahramanmaras. AP -
Grasslands and a motorway split in two, near Tevekkeli village, in Kahramanmaras. Reuters -
Cracks in the ground, near Tevekkeli village, in Kahramanmaras. Reuters -
A road near the quake’s epicentre, in Pazarcik, Kahramanmaras. AFP -
Land on either side of the ruptures moved in opposite directions up to seven metres in some locations, according to data from the California Institute of Technology. AFP -
Villages such as Tevekkeli, above, and small towns directly above the fault line suffered some of the most severe shaking. Reuters -
A resident shows the giant cracks next to his home in Nurdagi. AFP -
A damaged road in Golbasi, Adiyaman province. AP -
Grain silos damaged by the earthquake, in Nurdagi. Reuters -
A blocked road after a landslide caused by the earthquake, in the Islahiye region of Turkey's Gaziantep. AP
In response, the leader of the main opposition party, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, accused Mr Erdogan in a tweet of "insulting the earthquake victims".
The Turkish government was accused of failing to distribute sufficient tents, humanitarian aid and relief teams in several locations in the days after the earthquake.
