In recent years, political power and the crime economy have been in a race

Bülbül's assessments are as follows:

In recent days, money laundering incidents involving 2-3 hair salons, beauty centers, and 1-2 YouTubers have been occupying our country's agenda. Our country ranks among the top in the world in terms of the crime economy and money laundering. One of the significant reasons our country was placed on the grey list in 2021 is the crime economy. The crime economy has become a major power over the years by utilizing the public sector on one hand and political power—the government—on the other. Despite this, presenting operations conducted by a public official against the subcontractors of the crime economy as if they were being done for the first time, in an exaggerated manner to the public, would be distorting the truth.

In recent years, political power and the crime economy have been in a race. While the political power regime drifts toward an authoritarian and arbitrary regime, bypassing democracy and accountability, national and international criminal organizations have become a dominant power in politics, law, and commerce. The crime economy in our country is a structural problem. For this reason, they have come to dominate politics and the law.

Now I ask, when these subcontractors of the crime economy say, “We carried out these money laundering activities under the protection of politics and the law,” will the individuals, institutions, and groups they expose be pursued? Wherever you are in the world, a reign and a longing for a dynasty that cannot be audited inevitably creates crime and an underground economy. Sometimes, actors in the crime economy may, after a while, pose as heroes of justice and democracy and rebel against the political structure that nurtured them.

Administrations that do not account for their actions and are irresponsible eventually collapse. For this reason, legal regulations regarding political and administrative transparency, and then financial transparency, must be enacted.

If you notice, our country ranks high in the corruption index, and its ranking has been rising as the years pass. Our country's GDP at the end of 2023 is expected to be 1 trillion 154 billion. It is estimated that the informal economy in our country reaches 40% and is around 400 billion dollars, including the crime economy. While Mexico is the number one country in the world in terms of the ratio of money laundering to GDP, Turkey is the 9th.

According to IMF estimates regarding money laundering, the money seized and thought to be laundered constitutes 10-20% of the actual source of funds. It has been estimated that approximately 3.2 billion dollars from about 20 countries have been laundered in our country. We are in the position of the second worst country among OECD countries in the corruption perception index. Remember, why was our country placed on the grey list? It was because it did not fight sufficiently against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Now I ask, what has the political government done about these issues to date?

-Who has been receiving a share of urban rents in our country for years?

-Who has been siphoning money to tax havens in our country for years?

-Who has been receiving a share of tender corruption in our country for years?

-Who has been receiving a share of privatizations in our country for years?

-Who has been receiving a share of digital payments in our country for years?

-Who has been managing and receiving a share of the crime and underground economy in our country for years?

News Source: 12punto