Turkish PM directly responds to ‘money’ claims in alleged phone leaks

AYDIN

The prime minister added that they took necessary measures against those claims “to ensure the continuation of the state.” AA Photo

For the first time, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has directly commented on the claims incriminating him of clearing a huge amount of money from his house after the corruption probe broke. The allegations were published in alleged leaked phone conversations with Erdoğan’s son, Bilal Erdoğan.

During a live interview on pro-government private broadcaster Kanal 7 on March 16, Erdoğan described the leaks as a “montage,” arguing that those who accused him did “not know how to count money.”

“[Main opposition Republican People’s Party leader Kemal] Kılıçdaroğlu speaks about montages that were sent to them. [They talked about] millions of dollars. They don’t even know how to count money. You are taking away a huge amount of money that would not even fit into a room, how could you even do that?” he said. 

The phone conversations, posted on YouTube, allegedly reveal Erdoğan asking his son Bilal to turn millions of euros in cash stashed at several houses into “zero.”
Kılıçdaroğlu had previously made a statement claiming the tapes were “as real as Mount Ararat.”

Erdoğan also denied the claims published by a Turkish daily, suggesting that Bilal Erdoğan bought real estate “to spend the rest of the money.” He said an official complaint had been filed against the claims.

The prime minister added that they took necessary measures against those claims “to ensure the continuation of the state.”