Yeni Kostantiniyye, 1603 — Beylerbey Eriq Pasha al-Adm of Yeni Kostantiniyye has been implicated in a scandal involving the acceptance of bribes from Venetian merchants, sources close to the imperial court confirm.
According to palace officials, Eriq Pasha al-Adm, the prominent Beylerbey of Yeni Kostantiniyye, is accused of secretly accepting lavish tribute from Venetian traders based out of İskenderiye. These merchants, renowned for operation of their silk and spice routes, have connections to many other influential viziers, from whom they also allegedly sought favorable trade routes and contracts. Among the reported tributes Eriq Pasha accepted were: exquisite meals, visits with the Doge, and several shiploads of ducats while campaigning, some of which appear to have been siphoned from the Sultan’s coffers. Eriq Pasha and his envoys were granted freedom of transit through Venetian territory and waters, and priority access to port and accommodation facilities. In exchange for the Venetian generosity, Eriq Pasha allegedly hosted several Venetian envoys in Yeni Kostantiniyye, allowing the merchants to gain a competitive advantage in the bazaar by skirting import taxes. Additionally, the local Venetian embassy and trading guild were granted exemption from building code guidelines.
Viziers have been abuzz with rumors regarding Eriq Pasha for many years. Prior to his promotion to Beylerbey, eyewitnesses claim to have seen Venetian envoys entering al-Adm’s estate several times with supplies over the past several years, using his position as Agha of the Janissaries to gain undue influence in the Sultan’s court. “The supplies were not for the Janissaries, but for al-Adm himself,” said one eunuch, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case.
The timing of these allegations are interesting in light of the Sultan recently granting Eriq al-Adm the title of Pasha, particularly due to his reputation as one who is supposed to fight corruption and uphold the law. Despite his assurance that he’d sponsor several grand public works projects and make sweeping efforts to improve the lives of commoners, Eriq Pasha’s tenure as Beylerbey has been mired in stagnancy and broken promises. Though widely unpopular amongst the commoners of the Yeni Kostantiniyye province due to his diversion of public works funding to the Janissaries, many of those adjacent to the royal court had seen Eriq Pasha as a future vizier, or even in line for a grander role in the Sultan’s Divan.
Eriq Pasha has been summoned to the Sublime Porte to answer for these accusations. There, he is expected to face tribunal, which holds the power to strip him of his lands and title as Beylerbey. Meanwhile, Eriq Pasha has vehemently denied all charges. In a statement issued from al-Adm’s administration, the accusations are called “baseless” and “the work of jealous pretenders who seek to undermine Eriq Pasha’s service to the empire while elevating their own.” Eriq Pasha’s administration insists that all dealings with the Most Serene Republic of Venice and its mercantile guilds were in full compliance with imperial order.
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