PM’s son: Dad, let’s initiate an operation against Hizmet’s senior members


Date posted: March 18, 2014

İSTANBUL

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son Bilal allegedly urged his father to trigger an operation to detain prominent figures of the Hizmet movement in response to an ongoing graft and bribery investigation implicating Erdoğan, his family members and a number of ministers and businessmen close to him.

An audio recording uploaded onto YouTube by Twitter user Başçalan (Prime Thief) purportedly has Erdoğan talking to his son to arrange a time to meet and assess their measures in reaction to the investigation. A voice allegedly belonging to Bilal is heard telling his father that he is not sure whether to say it over the phone or not, but that he thinks an operation against the Hizmet movement is “a must,” adding that “their big guns [higher-ups] should be prosecuted.” Erdoğan replies, “Anyway, son, don’t go there now, stop.”

Despite the prime ministers words, his son continues, “It is of no use to [only] dismiss or change the positions of police chiefs, prosecutors and so on.” An intro text accompanying the audio claims that Bilal was panicked over the impending possibility of arrest for his involvement in a number of illegal practices.

Several previously leaked phone conversations purportedly between Erdoğan and Bilal implicate them rushing to “zero” money stashed at Bilal and other family members’ homes on the morning of Dec. 17, when a graft scandal erupted. The money allegedly amounted to $1 billion cash in US dollars and euros.

The conversations between the prime minister and his son show a lot of effort on Bilal’s part to get rid of the money. In one of these wiretapped phone calls, Bilal tells his father that they had decided to distribute the money to several businessmen to whom they owe money, effectively liquidating a significant part of it by paying for a number of different projects.

Source: Todays Zaman , March 18, 2014


Related News

Ankara’s soft-power dilemma

Turkey’s major assets in terms of successful diplomacy and soft-power policy included Turkish schools opened by the Hizmet movement all around the world; the International Turkish Language Olympiads organized by the same group; business associations within and outside the borders of Turkey; intercultural and interfaith dialogue societies; foreign language publications of Turkish society; Turkish hospitals in several countries; and Turkish international humanitarian aid organizations.

What is wrong with independent journalism?

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç called on prosecutors to take legal action on Monday against the Taraf daily and journalist Mehmet Baransu, who revealed a controversial National Security Council (MGK) document last week, signed by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in 2004, which detailed a planned crackdown on the Hizmet (Gülen) movement.

Civic engagement, success and the Gülen movement

MUHAMMED ÇETİN The recent extraordinary interest in activities by and related to the Gülen movement leads many to think about civic engagement and its efficacy and success. Civic engagement is extremely vital for improving and enhancing conditions in any contemporary democracy. It means promoting the quality of life in a community through both political and […]

Coup attempt in Turkey puts Tulsa Turks in difficult position

Muhammet Ali Sezer, the incoming executive director of the Raindrop Turkish Cultural Center, said it will be impossible for him to return to his homeland unless the political situation improves. “If I go back to Turkey, I don’t know what they will do to me,” said Sezer. He also said he fears for his father and brother who live in Turkey.

Discussing identity, multiculturalism and peace-building in Indonesia

Dr. Ihsan Yilmaz, JAKARTA Scholars and activists from all over the world and from all walks of life gathered in the lovely Indonesian resort city of Bogor to share their experiences on peace and peace-building activities. The 4th World Peace Forum (WPF) was organized in Bogor by the Indonesian Muhammadiyah movement, a loose social organization […]

Erdoğan and AK Party deputies split over hate speech against Hizmet

Apparently, not every Justice and Development Party (AK Party) member and minister is on board with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s hateful and insulting rhetoric against the Hizmet movement and Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and his followers.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Kimse Yok Mu “InnovAction for Poverty” Research Paper Competition is Open for Master or PhD students or graduates!

Religious communities under threat in Turkey

New mom jailed with baby for alleged ties to Turkey coup

Graduation ceremony of Pak-Turk school held

PII Awards Law Enforcement in New Jersey

Turks in US Ditto: Dialogue

Ministry of Defense and Orizont High School to Cooperate in the Educational Area

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News