Dişli's appointment as an adviser to the prime minister has been interpreted as an attempt by Erdoğan to restore trust within the AK Party. Former AK Party Deputy Chairman Dişli announced his resignation following charges that he was involved in an illegal land deal with a printing house.
Corruption allegations concerning Dişli were first brought forward by main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu last year. Kılıçdaroğlu claimed that Dişli made an illegal deal with the Akademi Ofset printing house, demanding $1 million in exchange for helping the company buy a piece of land. Dişli first dismissed the claims, and then resigned from his position in the party.
Erdoğan is set to announce a major intra-party reshuffle next October. However, the prime minister chose not to wait until then to appoint Dişli as his new intra-party affairs adviser. Dişli, who is also a Dutch citizen, can speak English, French and Dutch. He was among the AK Party's senior founders.
