The office of Turkey's prime minister has said that recordings of allegedly wiretapped conversations between the Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son - leaked onto the internet and suggesting corruption⁴ - were fabricated.

 

In recent weeks, several voice recordings of conversations allegedly involving Mr Erdogan, his children, aides or businessmen have been circulating on the internet.

 

In the latest recordings leaked on Monday, two people alleged to be Mr Erdogan and his son are heard discussing means of getting rid of large amounts of cash from their home. The conversations allegedly took place Dec. 17, the day that sons of three Cabinet ministers were detained as part of a vast corruption investigation⁵.

 

Media reports said Mr Erdogan met with Turkey's intelligence chief soon after that tape began to circulate on the internet and that his office later issued a statement saying that the recordings were "immorally⁶" fabricated and "totally unreal." It said the prime minister would take legal action against the recordings.

 

Turkey's main opposition⁷ party held an emergency meeting to discuss the latest leaked recording¹ and called on Mr Erdogan to resign, insisting that his government had lost its legitimacy（合法，合理）.

 

Mr Erdogan insists that the corruption probe which forced him in December to dismiss four Cabinet ministers is a conspiracy⁸ to discredit⁹ his government before local elections in March and a presidential election in August. He says the investigations¹⁰ were orchestrated by followers¹¹ of a moderate Islamic movement led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who have allegedly infiltrated¹²（渗透） Turkey's police and judiciary.

 

Last month, the leader's 33 year-old son, Bilal Erdogan, was questioned by prosecutors¹³ investigating the allegations.

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