Wiretapping suspect at Turkish PM’s office accompanied Saudi financier, daily claims

ISTANBUL

A man who accompanied Yasin al-Qadi (above) is reportedly a suspect in the December 2011 wiretapping of the Turkish prime minister’s office. Hürriyet photo

A man who accompanied Yasin al-Qadi, a Saudi businessman and reputed former al-Qaeda financier, during the latter’s six-month visit to Istanbul, is reportedly a suspect in the December 2011 wiretapping of the Turkish prime minister’s office, according to daily Taraf.

S.D. was one of the suspects in an investigation into claims that a bug was found in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office room in his house in Ankara, daily Taraf claimed on Feb. 25. S.D. accompanied al-Qadi during his six months in Turkey and participated in al-Qadi’s meetings with intelligence organization members, Taraf cited sources from the Prime Ministry as saying.

The Prime Ministry reportedly launched an investigation into the bug incident in January 2012, but could not reach any conclusion due to a lack of evidence about those who allegedly hid the wiretapping device.
The Saudi’s name was on a list of suspects that were due to be arrested as part of a second graft probe, according to official prosecution documents obtained by the Turkish media.

The arrest orders were ultimately not carried out after its initial prosecutor went public with his anger at being taken off the case on Dec. 25, 2013.

Al-Qadi was already a controversial name as he has been accused of financing terrorism in the past.