Turkish mafia leader exposes more ‘deep state secrets’
Sedat Peker, the ultranationalist Turkish mafia leader now
living in Dubai, has released more bombshell video recordings that shed light
on the close ties between state, media and mafia structures, with Turkish
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu at the center of the dirty revelations of deep
state secrets.
On Wednesday, Peker, who is seeking revenge on his past
companions, asserted that pro-government journalist Hadi Ozisik mediated
between Peker and Soylu, prompting Turkish citizens to call the government to
account.
Peker also claimed that Soylu assigned him with security
details and jammers before he left Turkey, and warned him about an approaching
investigation.
The mafia boss fled Turkey last year to avoid being
prosecuted, shortly before his rival Alaattin Cakici was released from prison
as part of the amnesty law.
In his video releases Peker admitted that he was the
mastermind behind a mob attack on Turkish newspaper Hurriyet in 2015 upon the
request of a lawmaker from the ruling government to stop the daily’s critical
coverage about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“The lawmaker said, ‘A group from our youth branch will go
to the newspaper’s building, but they are not professional. Can you dispatch
your men?’ I accepted and sent them,” Peker said.
It is claimed that the attack was a turning point in the
decision of Hurriyet’s boss, Aydin Dogan, to sell his company’s media assets to
a pro-government conglomerate, Demiroren.
For his part, Soylu, who filed a criminal complaint against
Peker over his accusations, pledged that he “was ready for every kind of
punishment, including death penalty” if his ties with the mafia leader were
proven.
Soylu’s war of words with Peker, saying “he is helpless and
shameless by taking refuge behind his wife’s underwear” during an interview
with state broadcaster TRT, drew anger from women’s rights groups.
Peker claimed that the male police officers searched his
wife’s underwear drawers during the raid rather than assigning female officers
to do that.
The opposition Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP) insists that
Turkish interior minister reveal which deputy receives $10,000 each month from
Peker, after Soylu claimed on Thursday that the mafia boss sends money to a
lawmaker without giving any name.
“If this person is still a lawmaker, we should remove his
parliamentary immunity immediately!” tweeted CHP Deputy Chair Ozgur Ozel.
Turkish citizens have called on the judiciary to investigate
the revelations.
Suleyman Irvan, an academic of communication from Uskudar
University, said this latest revelation made crystal-clear the close ties
between some journalists and mafia leaders.
Irvan also noted that the media channels closely associated
with the government did not have the courage to cover the latest revelations.
“For instance, the daily Hurriyet, although it was the
subject of a mob attack by the mafia leader, did not cover the statements of
Peker. Hopefully there are still a handful independent media that keep the
citizens informed about the latest developments that interest them,” he said.
In an interview on the independent Medyascope news channel,
prominent journalist Murat Yetkin said: “It is impossible for the government to
remain silent over the video releases of Peker as a boundary has been passed.”
In 2016, Peker threatened dissident academics in Turkey to
“bath them in their own blood” and declared them terrorists.
A year later, he won an award for “the most charitable
businessperson” from the pro-government daily Milliyet.
The video releases of the exiled mafia boss, who enjoys
complete free speech, with no ban on his private YouTube channel, are viewed by
millions.
In his previous videos, Peker accused some senior
bureaucrats and lawmakers affiliated with the government of rape, murder and drug
smuggling.
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