Do?an Holding rejects 'baseless' accusations

Do?an Holding has categorically denied accusations against the group and honorary chairman Ayd?n Do?an, saying the indictment made public on March 17 "is a new example of judicial oddities in our country."

"This indictment will go down in our judicial history as a document that testifies to the corrosion of the notion of the law in our country," said a statement issued on March 17 by Ahter Kutadgu, the deputy president of Do?an Holding responsible for corporate communication.

"Pushing the limits of the law in such a way, unfortunately, weakens society's trust in justice," it added.

The statement came a day after it was revealed that a Turkish prosecutor indicted 47 top executives of one of Turkey's biggest holdings, its biggest lender, and one of Europe's biggest energy companies, on "organized crime" charges, based on allegations strongly refuted on several occasions in the past.

The indictment seeks 24.5 years in jail each for Do?an Holding Honorary Chairman Ayd?n Do?an and ??bank Board Chairman Ersin Özince on accusations of "establishing an organization for the purpose of criminal activity" and "violating the anti-smuggling law." Other figures including Do?an Holding Vice Chairwoman Hanzade Do?an Boyner, board member ?mre Barmanbek, ??bank General Manager Adnan Bali, OMV Deputy Chairman David Davies, and OMV board member Manfred Leitner are accused of being members of the illegal organization.

The indictment is the result of a probe launched back in 2008 based on allegations from a secret informant. The probe gathered pace last year amid a campaign by pro-government media targeting Do?an Holding and Ayd?n Do?an, as just one prominent example of rising judicial pressure on the business world in Turkey. 

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