Former Erdoğan insider reveals $3.5 bln EU fund corruption scandal involving ex-agriculture minister

ByTurkish Minute
May 6, 2023

A former confidant of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan revealed the details of a corruption scheme involving $3.5 billion worth of EU funds allocated for the improvement of agriculture, implicating the then-minister of agriculture in the scandal, in a video released by journalist Cevheri Güven on Saturday.

Yeşildağ is a former associate of Erdoğan and a member of the influential Yeşildağ family, who detailed in a previous video on Friday how Erdoğan pocketed $ 1 billion in a 2007 tender.

In a second video of the series that is expected to be seven videos, Yeşildağ claimed Mehdi Eker, Turkey’s Minister of Agriculture from 2002 to 2013, used his position as Minister of Agriculture to manipulate tender processes, granting favors to companies he had a partnership with and abusing his power in violation of public trust.

In the latest video, Yeşildağ alleges that Eker, along with several other associates, exploited funds worth $3.5 billion provided by the European Union to develop Turkey’s agricultural infrastructure. Yeşildağ claims that Eker and his associates formed partnerships with companies bidding on ministerial tenders funded by the EU, ensuring they would receive a 50 percent share in profits.

According to Yeşildağ, these partnerships led to inflated bids, with profit margins reaching 60 and 70 percent. He alleges that the corruption extended to meat and pulse imports, resulting in higher prices for Turkish consumers. Yeşildağ also claims that the corruption continued even after Eker left office, with the system now being controlled by then-Prime Minister and current President Erdoğan.

Yeşildağ asserts that he is only sharing information about instances of corruption in which he was personally involved or has firsthand knowledge. He has promised to reveal more in future videos, stating that “you will vomit in the future.”

The allegations have not yet been independently verified, and the parties involved have not made any public statements in response to the claims. The story continues to develop as the public awaits further revelations from Yeşildağ.