CHP leader questions process of sale of Borsa Istanbul to Qatar

ADANA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu questioned how much Borsa Istanbul’s share was sold to Qatar in a new deal signed on Nov. 27 and asked the government why they did not hold a tender process for the sale.

“For how much have we sold 10 percent of the Istanbul Stock Exchange to the Qataris? Nobody knows. I don’t know either. Lawmakers do not know. Did you hold a tender? Maybe another country would have given more? Why didn’t you hold a tender?” he said at a meeting with tradespeople on Nov. 28.

His criticisms came after Turkey and Qatar signed 10 agreements on Nov. 26 including the sale of 10 percent of Borsa Istanbul. The agreement did not specify how much Qatar has paid in return.

He urged tradesman to call the government to account for the expenditure of their taxes and ask for transparency. “The tradesmen don’t speak up. The shopkeepers should also speak out,” he said.

The CHP leader criticized the government for not providing full support to the shopkeepers, saying that the administrational aid to the businesses during the pandemic should be a nonrecourse loan, unsecured loan, or rent aid.

“They just lent you money. The government closed your shop, yes it is right to close your shop, but it is unfair that it does not help,” he added, noting that some countries provided financial support to small businesses when they had shut down the shops, restaurants, etc.

“Supporting tradesmen in a difficult situation is also a serious trust between the state and the citizen. But it was fed distrust in Turkey,” the CHP leader stated.

“There is a special regulation in the Constitution regarding trades; shopkeepers should be protected by the state. So, who will protect? There is no authority to protect,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, recalling that state lender Halk Bank was established for this aim. But the bank lost its mission now, he added.