Erdogan's regime corrupt to its core

The Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Utah district of the United States requested the seizure of assets from Turkish businessman Sezgin Baran Korkmaz as it sought to recover $130 million allegedly laundered and transferred to Turkey from the United States.

The Turkish businessman was arrested on Saturday in Austria upon the United States’ request, BBC Turkish reported.

Earlier this month, Sedat Peker, a wanted Turkish mafia leader who is living in exile, accused Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu of tipping Korkmaz off and urging him to leave Turkey prior to the attempts to arrest him.

In early May, mafia boss Sadat Peker started making videos on state-mafia relations in Turkey, making allegations against current and former government officials, including international drug and arms smuggling, bribery, corruption and political assassinations.

A well-known figure in Turkey's underworld since the 1990s, Peker was released from prison in March 2014, after serving 10 years for leading an organized crime group.

After his release, he became a public supporter of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, holding pro-AKP rallies before the 2017 referendum for a presidential system.

The mafia boss fled Turkey due to an approaching investigation against him. He was promised a return to his homeland in April, but a nationwide police operation was launched in April targeting him and his associates.

The claims pushed opposition politicians to call for the truth behind the claims in order to fight against the criminalization of politics.

Although the allegations have shaken Turkish domestic politics, the government has yet to react strongly or provide convincing answers to the claims. 

Turks are bracing for the next round of revelations from the mafia boss who has shaken President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime to its core.