Turkey has rejected as “ludicrous” allegations that it offered several million dollars to the United States to extradite a political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
U.S. media reported that investigators in Washington are probing whether former White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn discussed expelling Muslim preacher Fethullah Gülen in exchange for a secret payout.
Ankara blames Mr. Gülen ’s movement for the July 15, 2016 failed coup against Mr. Erdoğan, and has pressed for his extradition from the United States, where he has lived since 1999.
Mr. Gülen, who has a large Turkish following, strongly denies the charges.
“All allegations that Turkey would resort to means external to the rule of law for his extradition are utterly false, ludicrous and groundless”, Turkey’s embassy in Washington said on Twitter on Saturday.
Meeting with Flynn
NBC News and The Wall Street Journal said on Friday that U.S. special prosecutor Robert Mueller is examining a meeting Mr. Flynn had with senior Turkish officials weeks after Donald Trump won the presidential race last year.
The meeting allegedly discussed a secret payout of up to $15 million if, once in office, Mr. Flynn would engineer the deportation to Turkey of Mr. Gülen as well as help free Erdoğan-linked Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab from prison.
NBC and The Journal both cited multiple people familiar with the probe by Mr. Mueller, who is leading the investigation into whether members of Mr. Trump’s campaign colluded with Russian meddling in the election.
The Journal said it is not clear how far the proposal went and that there was no sign that any payments were made.
Lawyers for Mr. Flynn have labelled the allegations “outrageous” and “false”.
According to the two reports, the discussions included details of how Mr. Gülen could be flown secretly by private jet to the isolated Turkish prison island of Imrali.
