Manhattan prosecutors unsealed a five-count indictment Tuesday against Mayor Eric Adams, which they said showed he was bankrolled and wined-and-dined by Turkey — with benefits such as first-class travel in luxury sleeper seats — in exchange for political favors. At the heart of the claims is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who allegedly won permission for a major 36-story building named as the Turkish House in New York City -described by Renwick- but this time with severe life safety infractions.

“Eric Adams, the defendant in this case, was met with a different type of N.Y. welcome,” said the charges according to an indictment, describing how “in Sept. 2021 [a Turkish official] told Eric Adams it was his turn to pay back the so-called favor by Eric Adams pressuring the New York City Fire Department to allow for opening of a new Turkish consular building — a ginormous 36-story skyscraper — without any fire inspection just ahead of an important visit by Turkey’s president.”

Adams reportedly falsely overruled the land-use process that had determined the building was unsafe for fire inspections and got the Turkish House opened just in time for Erdoğan’s visit. In return for these favors, Adams received free travel and other benefits from Turkish officials throughout 2021 and 2022, prosecutors said.

Adams is accused of significant pressure on the FDNY. The indictment describes how ‘the FDNY official responsible for the FDNY’s evaluation of the skyscraper’s fire safety was threatened with termination if he did not bow to pressure, and when Adams intervened, the ghe skyscraper opened on Adams’ order.

Political analysts say Erdogan saw the Turkish House as a symbol of Turkey’s ascent on the world stage. It was a total vanity project for Erdogan,” said Sinan Ciddi, an expert on Turkish politics. How they managed to get those inspections completed so quickly was a question raised at the time and is is now clear why. Erdogan was an ego, like https://look at what we can do even in NYC. He needed an image of Turkey as a power in the world, and he got it — and he got it when he wanted.

The Turkish House was designed by architectural firm Perkins Eastman and it is being called a “one-of-a-kind addition to the New York skyline supporting the US operations of Republic of Turkey.” The crescent moon on the Turkish flag is reflected in the curved facade, while the shape of a tulip crowns it as a symbol for Turkey.

Even in its grandeur, concerns about safety had persisted around the Turkish House. A 2021 Department of Buildings report reviewed by The News — which first reported the overhaul Monday night — said the property had a series of open fire safety and alarm issues but an FDNY spokeswoman later said that the structure’s fire alarm system was signed off on in March 2023, signaling it is “safe.”

The Turkish House, aside from its diplomatic duties, also contains a visa office, conference rooms and residential units as well as a prayer room. It also hosts diplomatic summits —last September President Erdoğan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met here—

The billionaire who constructed the Turkish House is Enver Yucel, a Turkish tycoon in charge of the BAU Global education network. Cenk Ocal, formerly a Turkish Airlines executive who was later put on Adams’s transition team and went on to serve as his liaison to the Turkish community, isn’t the only one allegedly connected to Adams.

The indictment quickly became national news, making Adams the first sitting New York City mayor indicted in decades. The man at the center of the scandal is none other than Adams’ top fundraiser Brianna Suggs, along with City Hall staffer Rana Abbasova whose homes were visited by federal agents. Ocal’s home was among the premises raided, although he wasn’t listed in the indictment.

That leaves political observers wondering what will happen next for Adams and his administration as the scandal continues to unfold.