Turkish Opposition Demands Erdogan Resign
JERUSALEM, Israel -- The man some say is trying to turn Turkey into an Islamic Caliphate may just be undone by a corruption scandal leaked on YouTube Monday.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be facing corruption charges after a leaked wiretap of conversations last December went viral on the Internet.
The 11-minute recording, posted late Monday on YouTube, garnered some 1.5 million views by Tuesday morning, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
In it, Erdogan allegedly instructs his son, Bilal, to dump substantial amounts of cash from his home with the aid of his sister and other relatives. In a subsequent conversation, his son allegedly says 30 million euros ($40 million) have yet to be moved.
Investigators found shoeboxes stuffed with hundreds of thousands of dollars in one state bank director's home, according to the report.
Meanwhile, demonstrations calling on Erdogan to resign and the government to be disbanded took place throughout Turkey Tuesday.
In Kadikoy, police used tear gas and water cannons against an estimated 5,000 demonstrators protesting in front of the district headquarters of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Kadikoy.
Protests took place in 10 locations throughout Istanbul, as well as in Ankara, Izmit, Trabzon, Eskisehir, Bursa, Antalya, Antakya and Canakkale, Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Erdogan vehemently denied the allegations, calling it a "treacherous act" and "vile attack" meant to discredit his government before local elections on March 30 and presidential elections in August.
"This is a treacherous act against the prime minister of Turkey," Erdogan said in a statement issued by his office. "This is not an attack on Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the AK Party, but an attack on the Turkish Republic."
Following an emergency meeting Monday evening, the Republican People's Party, Turkey's main opposition party, called on Erdogan to resign, saying his government has lost all legitimacy.
Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu advised Erdogan to flee or resign. "My advice to you: Either you take a helicopter and flee abroad or you resign." Another senior member, Haluk Koc, said Turkey could not continue "with this blemish and this burden."
Ankara's chief prosecutor said he's investigating to determine the recordings' authenticity and based on his findings would decide whether to pursue indictments.
