Turkey’s Presidnet Recep Tayyip Erdogan explained that the new presidential palace Aksaray was constructed because his old office was infested with cockroaches, Associated Press reports.

According to Erdogan, cockroaches had roamed the lavatories in the now-vacated prime ministry.  “Does such an office suit the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey? There can be no question of waste where representation is concerned,” Lenta reports.

The construction of Aksaray began in 2011 to serve as Turkey’s PM office. Winning the presidential elections in August 2014, Erdogan announced that the building would be used as presidential residence.

According to Turkey’s Finance Ministry, $ 615 million was spent from budget on the 1,150-room palace. The opposition severely criticized the expenditure for the reason of squandering state resources and illegally building it on a territory of a historical complex.