Turkey's Newly Appointed Central Bank Head Accused of Money Laundering for Mafia and Neo-nationalists

Turkey's newly appointed Central Bank Governor, Sahap Kavcioglu, has been accused of money laundering for the mafia and neo-nationalists while he served as the deputy general manager of Halkbank, according to Nordic Monitor, citing court documents.

The allegations were put forth by Ozkan Kurt, a member of the Nationalist Movement Party, who has been convicted on multiple charges. Kurt, known for his leadership in several nightlife venues in Istanbul and Antalya, has ties to a neo-nationalist group that has been involved in murders in Turkey. He has been convicted and was released early due to a pardon.

Kurt now heads the By Imera Group, which engages in various types of businesses ranging from construction to event promotion. Kavcioglu has also been known to oversee funds donated to the neo-nationalist group by businessmen such as Bedrettin Dalan and Mehmet Kurt, who financed certain activities for political purposes.