The German government will pay 297,750 euros to controversial religious organization Turkish-Islamic Union (DITIB) which has close ties with Turkey's Erdoğan regime.

The funding of the organization was cut by almost 80 percent but Germany was being expected to cut all the funding to DITIB after its imams were accused of spying for Turkey.

DITIB is a Muslim organization and is operating mosques throughout Germany. The imams working for DITIB were selected by Turkish government in the past. A number of them were accused of spying for Turkey and fled back to their homeland to avoid prosecution.

Still, the German government will pay 297,750 euros to DITIB, the "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" newspaper reported.

A list of organizations which will be supported by German government in 2018 shows that DITIB will get a total subsidy of EUR 297,500. Although this is only about a fifth of the 2017 and less than one tenth of the 2016 project funds, a total cut was being expected.

The religious-political spokesman of the Green Bundestag fraction, Volker Beck, once again demanded an investigation on cooperation with associations such as DITIB, the Central Council of Muslims or Milli Görüş.

For 2017, the ministry allocated 1.47 million euros to the DITIB headquarters in Cologne as well as to DITIB sub-associations. In 2016 the German government had paid 3.27 million to the DITIB.