Erdogan denies Wikileaks claim of Swiss bank account
Turkey's PM says he is willing to resign if allegation is true; calls on US diplomat who made claim to be punished.
By ASSOCIATED PRESSErdogan 311(photo credit: Associated Press)
ANKARA, Turkey - Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey says a US diplomat who reported claims in a State Department memo that he has Swiss bank accounts should be punished for making a false allegation.Erdogan said Wednesday he was willing to resign if Turkey's opposition can prove the memo was accurate.RELATED:'Wikileaks documents show Turkey helped al-Qaida'Wikileaks: 'US: Turkish leadership divided, unreliable' The classified cable, released this week by WikiLeaks, is dated Dec. 30, 2004 from then-US Ambassador Eric Edelman."We have heard from two contacts that Erdogan has eight accounts in Swiss banks," the cable details. "His explanations that his wealth comes from the wedding presents guests gave his son and that a Turkish businessman is paying the educational expenses of all four Erdogan children in the US purely altruistically are lame."Turkey's main opposition party was investigating the allegation.Click here for full Jpost coverage of the latest Wikileaks
