Turkiye prosecutors seize media conglomerate as part of ‘fraud’ probe

Can Holding apical executives detained, TV stations including Haberturk and Bloomberg HT placed nether 3rd enactment trustee.

Prosecutors successful Turkiye person seized power of a 121-company conglomerate, which includes 3 large tv stations, and ordered the apprehension of 10 of its executives connected fraud charges, according to media reports.

The apprehension bid connected Thursday targeted absorption astatine Can Holding, which is known for its vigor and acquisition assets, and which past twelvemonth acquired salient TV channels including Haberturk, Show TV and Bloomberg HT, an affiliate of Bloomberg News.

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In a connection published successful Turkish media, prosecutors successful the Istanbul territory of Kucukcekmece said they had uncovered grounds that “an organisation was established to perpetrate crimes done companies operating nether Can Holding … including fraud, taxation evasion … and wealth laundering”.

It ordered the apprehension of 10 people, including Can Holding’s owners, and placed the assets of its 121 companies nether the complaint of a 3rd party, the TMSF (Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkiye).

Bloomberg HT is the main Turkish-language transmission focused connected concern and the economy.

In aboriginal greeting raids, constabulary detained Can’s 3 apical executives, Mehmet Sakir Can, Kemal Can, and Kenan Tekdag, the backstage NTV transmission said.

Tekdag is caput of Ciner Media Group, which was acquired by the conglomerate successful December, with Can saying helium would beryllium liable for each of its media holdings.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said that a backstage assemblage nether the Can Holdings was besides among those seized by prosecutors.

Our analogous quoted the TMSF arsenic saying that determination volition beryllium “no disruption” successful the companies, and that the channels and the acquisition institutions being taken implicit volition proceed to operate.

“Since determination are media companies included, radical are funny astir what is going to happen, and however those media outlets are going to beryllium operating,” she said.

The determination comes arsenic the authorities has tightened its grip implicit the media, drafting a informing from watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

“The cognition targeting Can Holding, the proprietor of Haberturk & BloombergHT, whitethorn person its ain justifications. The corruption successful the assemblage is undeniable,” RSF’s Turkiye typical Erol Onderoglu said.

“However, the process whitethorn besides service an situation wherever power implicit media ownership is further tightened with the purpose of establishing a azygous voice.”

Can Holding besides has shares successful the operation group, Tekfen Holding.

In a connection to the banal exchange, Tekfen Holding said entities linked to Can Holding clasp a combined 17.56 percent involvement successful Tekfen. It said nary judicial enactment had been taken against those shares oregon Tekfen’s firm entity.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies