A Turkish businessman was questioned by the FBI upon his arrival at an airport in New York on Friday as part of an investigation into New York City Mayor Eric Adams due to his alleged corrupt dealings with the Turkish government, the Voice of America’s Turkish edition reported.
Erden Timur, owner and chairman of Turkish developer Nef, was asked whether he made any donations to the election campaign of Adams, who was elected mayor of New York City in November 2021.
Timur confirmed his questioning to VOA, saying the FBI asked him if he knows Adams, if he made any donations to Adams’s campaign and if received any request for a donation from the mayor.
The businessman said he did not make any donations to Adams’s campaign and was not asked for one.
According to a 57-page indictment unsealed last Thursday, Adams received illegal donations and more than $100,000 worth of free plane tickets and luxury hotel stays from wealthy Turkish nationals and at least one government official in a nearly decade-long corruption scheme.
Adams and his staff are accused of disguising the foreign money donated to his election campaign by funneling it through US citizens, the indictment says. His campaign received more than $10 million in matching public funds as a result of the false certifications, according to the indictment.
Timur’s session with the FBI took place at JFK Airport in New York, where he arrived to attend a concert in the city.
The businessman was allowed to go following the 20-minute session.
Some Turkish media reports said Timur was detained, but VOA did not call his time with the FBI a detention since he was not made to sign any papers for his responses.
Timur, whose company has investments in the construction sector in Brooklyn, said NEF avoids doing business with public agencies even in Turkey, so it is impossible for his company to have any business relationship with any US official or agency.
Timur served as an executive at Turkish sports club Galatasaray between 2021 and June 2024.
Meanwhile, Adams, who appeared before a judge in Manhattan federal court on Friday, pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud, soliciting illegal campaign donations and bribery conspiracy involving Turkish citizens.
Adams is the first sitting New York City mayor to be criminally indicted in a case that marks a stunning downfall for a man once touted as a future Democratic Party star.