Calls for Turkey PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resign in leaked tape scandal

Turkey’s main opposition party, the CHP, has called on Prime Minister Recip Tayyip Erdogan to resign amid a growing scandal over an alleged phone conversation he reportedly held with one of his sons which was uploaded onto YouTube. After holding a meeting with the country’s head of security, Erdogan called the recordings a “treacherous attack “ on his office and said he can answer any allegations. Last week the government brought in a new law that allows authorities to block access to websites. The recording shows what are a series of conversations in which Erdogan purportedly tells his son to dispose of large sums of money on the day the news broke of a corruption inquiry. In the last call his son allegedly said 30 million euros still remained. “Turkey is a victim of internal payoffs. That’s what I believe. In terms of its authenticity for me everything seems to be true and I believe Turkey is going down an irreversible road,” said Dogan Simsek, a resident of Istanbul. Another blamed impending elections. “I am against all types of leaked recordings. Why has it happened now? Local elections are coming, everybody is blaming each other. This is not good and I feel sorry for what has been happening,” said Salim Bas. It is the latest twist in a corruption scandal which erupted last December when businessmen associated with the prime minister and the sons of three ministers were detained.