Erdogan made his remarks late on Friday at a campaign rally in southeast Turkey ahead of nationwide municipal elections on March 30.
At campaign rallies, Erdogan has accused a coalition of "anarchists, terrorists and vandals" as well as opposition parties and an influential U.S.-based Islamic cleric, Fethullah Gulen, of orchestrating the unrest to undermine him.
At a rally in Adana province in southeast Turkey on Saturday, Erdogan again complained that the Gulen movement - which has many followers in Turkey's police and judiciary - was behind the corruption scandal now dogging his government.
"With the guidance of the organization's head in Pennsylvania, dirty games were staged in Turkey. While this was happening ... we continued serving this country," he said.
Gulenists are widely believed to be behind a series of leaked audio recordings purportedly exposing graft and other malpractices in Erdogan's inner circle. Gulen denies any involvement in the scandal.
Erdogan says the recordings are fabricated "montages" of conversations. More voice recordings were leaked overnight.
Erdogan, who has presided over a decade of rising living standards, remains Turkey's most popular politician and his AK Party is expected to outstrip its rivals in the local polls.
But critics say the prime minister is becoming increasingly authoritarian and intolerant, pointing to moves to tighten government control of the judiciary and of the Internet.
Erdogan says the moves are necessary to counter what he sees as attempts by Gulen, a former ally-turned-foe, to smear him and his government and to undermine him before the elections.
REUTERS