President Tayyip Erdogan accused Turkey's top business association, TUSIAD, of meddling in politics and undermining the government on Wednesday, piling pressure on a group already being investigated over an executive's remarks on democracy.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at influential business group Tusiad following the start of a judicial investigation into one of its leaders, part of a wider crackdown against opposition figures in the country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on February 19 accused Turkey's top business association, the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association, or Tusiad, of meddling in politics and undermining his government with a “provocation”.

President Tayyip Erdogan has escalated Turkey's battle with its top business group, expanding a broad political crackdown on dissent and raising the stakes for his government's economic turnaround programme,