Erdoğan said to dismiss advisor as corruption allegations mount

President Erdoğan has dismissed his advisor Serkan Taranoğlu following the corruption allegations made by mafia boss Sedat Peker, journalist Fırat Kozok reported. Earlier this week, Korkmaz Karaca, another advisor of Erdoğan who was also mentioned in the alleged corruption network, had resigned from his duty citing “health problems.”

Friday September 02 2022 12:36 pm

Duvar English

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has dismissed one of his advisors Serkan Taranoğlu, journalist Fırat Kozok from Bloomberg reported on Sept. 1.

The move came after the advisor's name was included in an alleged corruption network unveiled by Turkish mafia boss Sedat Peker.

Kozok said that Erdoğan notified the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Central Executive Board (MYK) about his dismissal decision during a meeting on Sept. 1.

The AKP has not so far made a statement with regards to the issue.

Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan, Serkan Taranoğlu’nu görevden aldığını partisinin bu akşamki MYK toplantısında üyelere açıkladı. @business
— Fırat Kozok (@FiratKozok) September 1, 2022

Last week, mafia leader Sedat Peker, who fled Turkey in early 2020, unveiled a new series of corruption allegations against senior members of the ruling AKP.

Peker claimed in a series of 50 tweets on Aug. 27 that former Capital Markets Board (SPK) head Ali Fuat Taşkesenlioğlu, who was previously a manager at the Gülenist-run Bank Asya; AKP lawmaker Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu; Erdoğan's advisors Serkan Taranoğlu and Korkmaz Karaca; the Union of Chambers, Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) member Salih Orakcı; and columnist Burak Taşçı from the daily Hürriyet took bribes in an organized network..

Peker claimed that Ali Fuat Taşkesenlioğlu and his sister Zehra Taşkesenlioğlu demanded a bribe of 12 million liras from Mine Tozlu Sineren, the owner of Marka Investment Holding, under the name of consultancy to solve her companies’ problems.

Peker said: "Serkan Taranoğlu told Mine Tozlu Sineren, ‘the President's Advisor named Korkmaz Karaca also wants to contact you to settle your problem. Do not contact him, he will ask for a lot of money.'"

Sineren accepted Peker's allegations and said, “I have reported it to state institutions every time, but I have not received a response."

Following the allegations, Korkmaz Karaca on Aug. 30 resigned from his duty citing "health problems."

Moreover, Karaca told journalist Barış Pehlivan from the daily Cumhuriyet that “whatever Serkan Taranoğlu knows, he should tell the prosecutors.”

Karaca denied allegations and said, “I did not ask for anything from Sineren.”