Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has intensified efforts seeking clarity on the identity of a lawmaker, who is reportedly receiving monthly payments from a crime organisation.
The CHP has hung posters asking, “Who is the politician receiving a 10,000 monthly salary from the mafia?’’ from the party’s main Istanbul headquarters and 39 district offices in the megacity, T24 news site reported on Wednesday.
Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu made the claim regarding a mafia-bankrolled politician during a televised interview last month.
Soylu was responding to convicted mob boss Sedat Peker, who has accused the Turkish interior minister of turning a blind eye to drug trafficking and helping him evade arrest. Soylu has denied the charges.
“He should hold accountable whoever it is that deceived him,’’ Soylu said while dismissing the charges on state-run TRT, “Whoever the politician is who he pays $10,000 a month to.”
The CHP has been urging the Soylu, as well as other AKP officials to reveal the name of the politician, but the call has been ignored.
CHP Istanbul chairwoman Canan Kaftancıoğlu shared images of the new banners on Twitter.
The main opposition party earlier this year posted billboard with the question,”Where is the $128 billion?,” intended to embarrass and annoy Erdoğan and his ruling AKP.
The figure referred to the dollars sold by state banks to support the Turkish lira in foreign exchange markets as part of the government’s unorthodox financial policy.
The posters were torn down by Istanbul police.
Ahval