Videos shake Turkey: Mafia boss also targets Erdogan with serious allegations

A mafia boss publishes recordings of serious allegations against Turkish politicians.

The alleged reveal videos keep Turkey in suspense.

Istanbul - The mafia boss Sedat Peker has been causing a stir with his videos for several weeks.

Since the beginning of May he has published seven videos in which he makes serious allegations against those around Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He assumes that top Turkish politicians and their relatives are linked to organized crime.

It's about alleged drug trafficking and unsolved murders.

The videos come at an inopportune time for Erdogan and could put the president in distress.

Allegations from mafia boss: Erdogan stands behind his interior minister after allegations

Peker directs his main attacks against Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. The mafia boss suggests with his statements that the amalgamation of the underworld and politics still exists. This is reported by the German Press Agency. Interior Minister Soylu protected him for a long time and warned against investigations, says Peker, for example. Last but not least, he went abroad on Soylu's tip. Peker is suspected to be in Dubai at the moment.

The interior minister reacted with drastic words. He denied Beijing's allegations - and called him a "mafia bastard". Meanwhile, he also defends himself in television interviews. He is not thinking of resigning, he said on Sunday (May 23). With an unsuccessful comparison, he caused massive irritation among his viewers. When an interviewer pointed out that Peker's videos were being followed by millions of Turks, Soylu replied: "Millions of people also watch child pornography."

On Wednesday (May 26) Erdogan commented on the allegations against his interior minister.

"In his fight against terrorist organizations and criminal organizations, we were on the side of our interior minister, we are now on his side and will continue to be by his side in the future," said the President in a speech.

Mafia boss accuses other politicians in Turkey - Erdogan's polls are already on the decline

Peker made particularly explosive allegations in his seventh video on Sunday. In it he accused the son of the former prime minister and Erdogan's confidante Binali Yildirim involvement in international drug smuggling - the ex-prime minister firmly rejected it. Peker alleged that the former Interior Minister Agar was involved in the still unsolved murders of the Turkish journalist Ugur Mumcu and the Turkish Cypriot author Kutlu Adali in the 1990s.

The videos don't come at a good time for the Turkish President. In the face of high unemployment and record inflation, his polls are already on the decline. Even now, Erdogan's Islamic-conservative ruling party, the AKP, does not have a majority in parliament without the support of the ultra-nationalist MHP. It is noticeable, however, that the government has not yet blocked the alleged disclosure videos, although it usually takes action against statements critical of the government.

Some observers are therefore of the opinion that the head of state was not so wrong that Soylu was dismantled.

After all, the minister was already being traded as Erdogan's successor.

Since the police are investigating Peker, he is only partially credible as a witness.

It remains to be seen whether the allegations could really put Erdogan in trouble.

(dpa / tkip)

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