An audio recording of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son Bilal has recently appeared on the Internet. In the audio recording, the two can be heard talking about receiving a bribe from local businessman Sitki Ayan. The Cabinet freed him from paying taxes on the construction of a new oil pipeline from Iran. The businessman was planning to thank Erdogan with $10 million, as heard in the audio. Erdogan was persuading his son to reject the sum, ITAR-TASS reports.
The record was posted by someone named Haramzadeler on Twitter and YouTube, where the user has already posted several corruption-related messages. No official confirmation that the voices belong to PM Erdogan and his son has been given yet.
Erdogan described the first file posted on Monday as a fake and promised to punish the authors.
Recordings damaging Erdogan’s reputation have started appearing on the eve of the local elections Turkey will hold on March 30.
