Turkish President reportedly sacks advisor implicated in bribe scheme

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed one of his advisors who had been accused of being part of a corrupt network, Bloomberg's Fira Kozok said on Twitter on Thursday.

Kozok said in his tweet: "President Erdogan announced to his party executive committee members in a meeting this evening that he dismissed Serkan Taranoglu."

Taranoglu had been accused by rogue Mafia boss Sedat Peker of conspiring with a deputy for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the deputy's husband, the former head of the Turkish Capital Markets Board (SPK), and some media figures to provide shady companies opportunities for public trading, and of receiving hefty bribes in exchange.

Peker claimed that he had access to Whatsapp conversations in which Erdogan's advisor Taranoglu openly asks a businesswoman, Mine Tozlu Sineren, for an advance payment.

Taranoglu allegedly says to the businesswoman: "I have arrived in Izmir. You will deliver the money to be distributed anyhow, but I don't have any cash right now, so send me some, 200,000 TL would be OK."

Another alleged member of the network Unsal Ban, the husband of AKP deputy Zehra Taskesenlioglu was arrested on Monday as he was trying to flee Turkey.

Korkmaz Karaca, a top economic aide to President Tayyip Erdogan, resigned from office after Peker claimed he was also part of the bribe scheme.