ISTANBUL, Sept 11 — Turkish prosecutors on Thursday seized control of a 121-company conglomerate, which includes three major television stations, and ordered the arrest of 10 of its executives on fraud charges, media reports said.
The arrest order targeted management at Can Holding, which is known for its energy and education assets and which last year acquired several prominent TV channels, including Haberturk, Show TV and Bloomberg HT, an affiliate of Bloomberg News.
In a statement published in Turkish media, prosecutors in the Istanbul district of Kucukcekmece said they had uncovered evidence that “an organisation was established to commit crimes through companies operating under Can Holding… including fraud, tax evasion… and money laundering”.
It ordered the arrest of 10 people, including Can Holding’s owners, and placed the assets of its 121 companies under the charge of a third party, the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkey.
The move comes as the government has tightened its grip over the media, drawing a warning from watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
“The operation targeting Can Holding, the owner of Haberturk & BloombergHT, may have its own justifications. The corruption in the sector is undeniable. However, the process may also serve an environment where control over media ownership is further tightened with the aim of establishing a single voice,” RSF’s Turkiye representative Erol Onderoglu said. — AFP
