Erdogan under pressure from charges of exiled mafia boss

One of the many accusations Sedat Peker is making on YouTube involved the Turkish government in arming and buying oil from Syrian jihadists.

In one of his videos, Pecker explains in detail how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's top aid directed the scheme.

Peker, who analysts say he once had close ties with Turkey's leaders, began broadcasting weekly videos on a YouTube channel, raising claims against the government after being forced to leave the country.

Analyst Atilla Yesilada says the mafia boss has an increasing audience.

It's extraordinary. It is attracting an audience of over four and five million each video. And everything he says is analyzed in opposition channels. So I'd say everyone knows what you're talking about. Of course, the worst (for Erdogan) is the opening of the 1990s file, the untrial killings”, says Yesilada.

Peker claims former Interior Minister Mehmet Aga was head of a shadow organisation known as the “secret state”, which is said to have been responsible for a series of murders of prominent journalists dating back to the 1990s. Aga is close to Erdogan, and his son Tolga is party MP The ruling AKP.

Aga has denied the charges. Erol Onderoglu of the organisation Reporters Without Borders says the government should be transparent.

“S first should become part of a parliamentary investigation, but I think it won't be possible if the Turkish government does not reveal the names of some state actors. So transparency should calm public opinion and show respect for the families of victims”, Onderoglu says.

But President Erdogan is dismissing the charges. Speaking to his party's deputies, the Turkish president said the charges are part of an international plot to overthrow it.

But Peker's claims continue, accusing Erdogan's son of trusted man, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, of smuggling cocaine and of turning Turkey into one of the largest drug import and distribution centres in Europe.

Yildirim I dismissed the charges. Analysts stress that Erdogan has experience in overcoming political storms. But analyst Yesilada says that contrary to the past, Turkey is in the middle of a record-low economic crisis and support in polls for President Erdogan.

All these are unmatched signs for an Armageddon for Erdogan. It would take a miracle to repair the reputation damaged by Peker's videos. The picture presented is that of a government working for personal gain and for friends and that has completely lost interest in voters”, Yesilada said.

Peker has promised more videos on YouTube, which he says will reveal more inner secrets he claims learned from two decades in the ruling party's internal circles. / VOA