The Turkish government used bribes paid to the mayor of New York to weaken Erdogan's opponents

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

New York Mayor Eric Adams is accused of secretly soliciting and accepting illegal gifts and campaign donations from Turkish businessmen close to the president, according to an indictment unsealed September 26. Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish government officials, dating back to 2014, when he served as Brooklyn borough president. The indictment alleges that in exchange for these bribes, Adams not only benefited personally, but also adjusted his political position on issues concerning opponents of the Turkish government and Armenians, in accordance with instructions from those who influenced him.

The indictment against Mayor Adams was reported differently in Turkish and American media. In Turkey, the accusations were presented as relatively common forms of corruption, including free upgrades on Turkish Airlines flights, stays in luxury hotels in Istanbul and approval of the Turkish House, a consular building across the street from the United Nations, without fire inspection. These types of bribes constitute minor or ordinary crimes by Turkish standards. However, pro-opposition Turkish media have placed more emphasis on the involvement of Turkish diplomats and government officials in these crimes.

American media took a much more serious tone, highlighting the potential legal consequences Adams faces. The charges include wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and bribery, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Additionally, Adams is accused of soliciting illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals in two separate counts based on allegations from 2021 and 2023, each punishable by up to five years in prison. prison. Finally, the indictment includes a conspiracy charge, which carries a prison sentence of up to five years.

In the media coverage of both countries, there is insufficient emphasis on the political demands of the Turkish government in exchange for the bribes accepted by Adams.

According to the indictment, the Erdogan government believed that Adams might one day become president of the United States and hoped to gain influence with him, as part of a plan that included potential interference in future American elections.

In exchange for travel benefits provided or arranged by a Turkish official in 2015 and 2016, Adams granted a political request from that official, according to the indictment.

The first demand from Erdogan's government, as outlined in the indictment, was that Adams end his association with the Glen Movement, a group critical of Erdogan.

Before a 2015 trip to Turkey funded by various entities, including the Turkish Consulate General, Turkish Airlines and three municipalities in Turkey, Adams had maintained a relationship with a Turkish community center in Brooklyn. The community center, which the indictment does not name, is widely believed, as reported by Turkish media, to be affiliated with the Glen movement, inspired by cleric Fethullah Glen, who now resides in Pennsylvania.

In 2016, the Turkish official informed Adams that the community center was affiliated with a political movement hostile to the Turkish government. The official warned that if Adams wanted to continue to receive government support, he would no longer be able to partner with the community center. Adams complied with this request, the indictment states.

The request is hardly surprising given that in 2018, businessman Kamil Ekim Alptekin, a Turkish government agent, was indicted by US federal prosecutors for attempting to surveil Erdogan's opponents in Washington , D.C. His secret activities were revealed during his associate's trial. , Bijan Rafiekian, who was convicted of acting as a secret agent of the Turkish government in the United States.

The scheme involved the use of the Flynn Intel Group, founded by Rafiekian and former national security adviser to US President Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, to research and lobby against the Glen movement, with the aim of influencing American politicians and public opinion. During Rafiekian's trial on July 17, 2019, Brian McCauley, former deputy director of the FBI, testified that Alptekin asked him to plant incriminating evidence against the Glen movement and monitor criticism of Erdogan in the Washington area .

In 2019, former Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlt Avuolu was allegedly involved in a scandal in which Flynn and his son were to receive up to $15 million to hand over Fethullah Glen to the Turkish government. This proposal was discussed among those familiar with conversations Flynn had with Turkish representatives, including Avuolu and Erdogan's son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, during a reported September 2017 meeting in New York. Former CIA Director James Woolsey, who was also at the meeting, described the proposal as a secret move taken in the middle of the night to keep the man away.

Furthermore, it is no secret that Erdogan has frequently created crises to negotiate with the United States due to a corruption scandal involving members of his family, trying to keep a deal involving Halkbank in limbo or to be resolved in the way that would affect it the least. So far, it cannot be said that he has succeeded in this regard.

According to the indictment, between 2012 and 2016, prosecutors alleged that Turkish state bank Halkbank and its officers, agents and co-conspirators directly and indirectly used money services businesses and shell companies in Iran , Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere to violate and circumvent bans on Iran's access to the U.S. financial system, restrictions on the use of proceeds from Iranian oil and gas sales, and restrictions on the provision of gold to the Iranian government and Iranian entities and persons.

The indictment says Halkbank knowingly facilitated the scheme, participated in engineering fraudulent transactions intended to deceive U.S. regulators and foreign banks, and lied to U.S. regulators about its involvement.

Political observers are not surprised that the Erdogan government would choose to invest in Adams and offer bribes to advance its interests. This strategic maneuver reflects a calculated effort by Erdogan to gain influence and secure favorable positions within US political circles.

Finally, another political allegation against Adams involves a change in position regarding Armenians. According to theIn the indictment, on April 21, 2022, the Turkish official sent a message to a member of Adams' staff, noting that Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day was approaching and repeatedly asked for assurances that Adams would not make any statement on the matter. Adams' staffer confirmed that Adams would not make a statement, and Adams ultimately did not make such a statement.

Text of the indictment against Adams:

us_v._adams_indictment_1