In the past twelve hours, over one and a half million people have listened to the alleged recording of the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, telling his son to hide thirty millions euros in cash. The recordings, which are said to have been made the day a corruption probe was launched in December against the sons of three key ministers, will leave Erdogan reeling. He repeatedly tells his son not to speak openly, but Bilal states how much money there is and where he's hidden it. It makes for fascinating listening, even if, as the prime minister claims, it is false.
4th call 23.15
Bilal Erdogan: Hi daddy, I am calling to… we did [it] mostly. Eee, did you call me daddy?
Recep Tayyip Erdogan : No I did not, you called me.
BE: I was called from a secret number
RTE: By saying mostly, did you fully dissolve it.
BE: We did not zeroized it yet daddy. Let me explain.. We still have a 30 million euros that we could not yet dissolve. Berat thought of something. There was an additional 25 million dollars that Ahmet Calik should receive. They say let’s give this [to him] there. When the money comes, we do [something], they say. And with the remaining money we can buy a flat from Sehrizar, he says. What do you say, father?
RTE: (background soun: Ayyy)
BE: Daddy
RTE: Is Sumeyye with you?
BE: Yes with me, should I call her?
RTE: No, there was another sound, that’s why I asked
BE: Umm.. I mean, he can transfer 35 million dollars to Calik and buy a flat from Sherizar with the remaining.
RTE: Whatever, we will sort it
BE: Should we do it like this?
RTE: OK do it
BE: Do you want them all dissolved father, or do you want some money for yourself
RTE: No, it cannot stay, son. You could transfer that to the other, with Mehmet you could transfer it there…
BE: Yes, we gave to them. We gave 20 to them.
RTE: For God’s sake, first you should’ve transferred you could then do.
BE: We were able to give this much for now, it is hard already, it takes too much space. We are putting some of it to another place, we gave part of it to Tunc, and then…
RTE: did you transfer all to Tunc?
BE: (Sumeyye, can you come) Where, father?
RTE: To Tunc, I say, did you transfer all to Tunc?
BE: They asked, I guess he said that he could take 10 million euros.
RTE: Whatever. Do not talk this like this on this.
BE: OK, then, we will sort it as such.
RTE: Ok do it. I am not able to come tonight, I will stay in Ankara.
BE:OK, we are sorting it out. You do not worry.
NOTES: Sumeye is Erdoagn's daughter, Berat is his other son. Calik is a building/oil/media magnet.
NOTES: Sumeye is Erdoagn's daughter, Berat is his other son. Calik is a building/oil/media magnet.
In response the government quickly hit back and said that there has been at least 2000 phones tapped illegally in Turkey by prosecutors loyal to the Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen. But one wonders how else are you going to catch a corrupt prime minister, especially if the law is not on your side. Pro-government media estimate the number of tapped phones is as high as 7000.
While it's clear there is a battle going on between Erdogan and Gulen, which may now escalate with further measures against Gulen businesses - in November the government took measures to close down a network of Gulen affiliated schools. It's also clear that Erdogan and his ministers don't run an all together transparent ship and that his son has once again dropped him in it. The questions now is, will Erdogan survive this scandal as prime minister?
Back in the late nineties, when Erdogan was serving as the mayor of Istanbul, Bilal killed a prominent singer in a hit and run as she crossed the road in the swank Istanbul neighbourhood of Levent. It was reported, at the time, that Bilal didn't hold a drivers' license, yet he was acquitted and then sent abroad. There were also stories the police scrubbed the skid marks off the road to create a narrative that would fit with Bilal's defence. Erdogan may now be wishing that his son never came home.
Notably Erdogan's political career didn't end there. It merely suffered a hick-up, though not because of the cover up of Bilal's driving history, but because he read a poem at a political rally that was seen to be anti-secular. Erdogan was arrested and imprisoned for reading that poem, and effectively removed from the mayorship. But he bounced back with the support of the Gulen Movement and became a hero to the millions of people who were fed up with the militant nature of the secular state.
One wonders where all this scandal will leave Erdogan and the AK Party, just one month ahead of local elections. The government is trying to stem the leaks that just keep coming. Last week a new law was passed that effectively tightens control on the internet, so it wouldn't be surprising if Turkey returns to the days of banning Youtube - the recordings were uploaded there, although by who is not clear.
The prime minister office said in a statement, following an emergency meeting with the chief of intelligence, that the taped conversations are 'entirely untrue'. But one wonders how Turkey will recover from this ongoing scandal unless the prime minister admits defeat. How many accusations does it take before a politician loses all credibility? Everyone is losing here.
The lira hit an all time low again, which means foreign debt will keep rising, most of which belongs to the private sector. Consumer confidence is down 43% since the Gezi Park protests last June and the atmosphere in Turkey when it comes to open debate and any potential journalistic investigation into catching corrupt officials is toxic.
Most people, even the middle class, work six or seven days a week and their earned money is continuing to devalue. They deserve a more transparent leadership and a day off. They should also vote Erdogan out of power in the upcoming elections, because if a taped conversation of this magnitude can't do it, only the ballot box will. As one Turk put it this morning, 'The country is collapsing with filth.'
