Turkish ministry promises legal action over Cyprus-based corruption allegations against Erdogan, Fidan

The Turkish foreign ministry has promised to take legal action over the publication of allegations against the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, and others regarding reported partaking in high-level mafia-linked corruption in northern Cyprus.

The allegations, initially made by assassinated Turkish Cypriot businessman Halil Falyali’s former financial director Cemil Onal in an interview with Cypriot news website Bugun Kibris, were repeated by Turkish opposition political party leader Ozgur Ozel.

They related to “dirty money being laundered”, bribes, and a “dirty network”, linking those at the top of the Turkish government, the Falyali family, and the Serim family.

The Serim family comprises father Maksut Serim, who managed Erdogan’s discretionary funds, and sons Yasin Ekrem Serim, Turkey’s former ambassador in the north, who was relieved of his duties in February.

“The allegations made against our ministry and our minister in a news report published in a media outlet based in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are completely untrue. Legal action will be taken against these unfounded allegations which are not based on any concrete evidence,” the ministry said.

It added, “it is extremely irresponsible for some circles to repeat these lies, which aim to damage the credibility of state institutions and the reputation of individuals in public.”

“This systematic slander and smear campaign, which is being carried out by repeating irrational and illogical fictions, should not be given any credence”.

Meanwhile, AK Party MP Suleyman Soylu went further, saying, “everyone who spreads, broadcasts, and writes these slanders is a bastard”.

He also described those who made the allegations as “dishonourable” and described the allegations themselves as “vile gossip”.

Meanwhile, the two journalists who published the allegations, Aysemden Akin and Emine Yuksel, both reported that their Facebook accounts had been closed “following intense cyber-attacks”.

The news website they operate, Bugun Kibris, promised that “those who are disturbed by the exposure of dirty relationships will not achieve results by silencing people”.

Turkish Cypriot opposition political parties also came to the defence of Akin, Yuksel, and Bugun Kibris, with CTP secretary-general Erkut Sahali among those to offer his support.

“Bugun Kibris fulfils its mission of informing the public by citing sources through interviews, one of the most well-known activities of journalism. It is unacceptable to approach its publications, which are made in absolute compliance with journalistic principles, with aggressive, derogatory, and even insulting expressions,” he said.

He went on to describe Bugun Kibris’ news as “serious, reliable, and free from suspicion”.

“While there is a right to explain these allegations with information which will satisfy the public, the fact that denial, insult, and even threats have been preferred instead, as well as attacks aimed at preventing access to the publications, seriously reinforces the perception of the publications’ reliability,” he added.

He then added that “a free press is the guarantee of society’s freedom, transparency, and democracy”, and that it is “essential that the interviews conducted by Bugun Kibris are read by every individual who pursues the truth, and that convincing answers are demanded from their interlocutors”.

Meanwhile, TDP leader Zeki Celer called on the Turkish Cypriot authorities to defend Akin and Yuksel, saying, “ensuring the safety of journalists is the responsibility of the state”.

He added that any compromise on the freedom of the press is “out of the question”.

Earlier, Turkey’s presidential communications directorate had slammed the allegations, describing them as “fictitious” and “unfounded”.

“It has been determined that manipulative news regarding the change of duty at the Turkish embassy in Nicosia has been fabricated. All of the so-called dialogues and allegations in the news, in which [Erdogan] and [Fidan] are mentioned, are fictitious. Do not believe unfounded allegations,” the communications directorate said.

The allegations had centred around rumoured cassette tapes which Halil Falyali had intended, if and when necessary, to use as blackmail against powerful figures.

Onal had alleged that when Serim was appointed as ambassador last summer, he was told, get those tapes and bring them back, that is how you will rise in the state”.

However, it has been reported that while Turkey’s National intelligence organisation (Mit) had discovered that there were a total of 45 or 46 such tapes, Serim only recovered 40, and kept the other five for himself.

Hakan Fidan then reportedly forwarded the tapes to Mit head Ibrahim Kalin, who informed Erdogan of the situation. The contents of the alleged missing tapes are not known, but it has been claimed that Erkam Yildirim and Halit Fidan are both mentioned.

Ozgur Ozel had then spoken about the matter in Turkey’s parliament earlier in the week.

“It turns out that Hakan Fidan is involved in this business. [Former Turkish prime minister] Binali Yildirim is involved in this business. The children of these friends, these politicians, the previous prime minister, the current foreign minister, are involved in this business. There are 45 tapes, 40 have been seized, five have been left hanging,” he said.

“Hakan Fidan’s son says this to this person. Binali Yildirim’s son says that to that person. I would be ashamed to say these things here. I am not Erdogan. The person who will call anyone a thief and say something based on the slander of false witnesses before the accusations are finalised is Erdogan. All the filth has been exposed here.”

Since then, Akin has published two further articles related to her interviews with Onal.

In one, Onal spoke of a money laundering network stretching as far as Belarus and Curacao and involving Greek Cypriot businessman Loukas Fanieros. In the other, it was alleged that Falyali was able to bribe public prosecutors in Turkey on behalf of his associates.