Janitor returns 24,500 euros found in Istanbul airport bathroom

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

CİHAN photo

A janitor who discovered 24,500 euros ($26,000) in the bathroom of Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport has been praised for his “good character and inner conscience.”

Emrah Evrensel, who earns minimum wage -currently 1,000 Turkish Liras a month (approx. $350)- cleaning the airport’s VIP area, found a bag full of cash on Nov. 6, which he then turned over to the authorities.

Evrensel said he was startled by his discovery. “I could have kept the money for myself. People think of every option. I did so but I chose the good one,” he said.

Praising the janitor for his honesty, TAV Istanbul General Manager Kemal Ünlü, said, “What he did is the result of a good character and inner conscience.”

The money’s owner soon returned to the airport and retrieved the cash after officially being identified.

Airport manager Mehmet Ali Ulutas said, “He [Evrensel] could have kept the money to buy himself a modest house. However, he brought it to the officials and set a good example.”

Evrensel was awarded a prize and a certificate of appreciation.

Meanwhile, a currency exchange office in southern Turkey is still hunting for a customer who unwittingly pocketed almost 10,000 liras (approx. $3,000) in a mistaken transaction.

A male customer, aged 55-60, came into the office in Seyhan district on Tuesday to change $10,500 and was mistakenly paid 39,295 liras instead of 29,365.

“The customer may not have realized that he was paid more,” the owner of the office, Ercan Guven, said at the time, adding, “I hope he behaves with his inner conscience and brings the money back.”
So far, however, the money has not been returned.