Doğan Group refutes claims about business partnership

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s Doğan Group has said recent reports claiming the group was in partnership with Jamal Daniel, allegedly in energy business, were false, in a written statement. 

Doğan Group Vice President Responsible for Corporate Relations Ahter Kutadgu said several claims in Turkish daily Yeni Şafak and Derin Ekonomi magazine were totally fabricated.

“Our group has not established any partnership with Jamal Daniel. We have even heard of his name in the reports,” Kutadgu said, adding Doğan Group Honorary President Aydın Doğan has never met the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, Masoud Barzani, as opposed to the claims in the mentioned paper and magazine. 

“Doğan Enerji, Doğan Group’s energy unit, took part in investment projects in two regions in northern Iraq, Arbil and Khalakan, in 2009. After around nine months of the agreement, Doğan Enerji exited from the Khalakan project on March 26, 2010, by transferring all stakes to the New Age company,” Kutadgu said. 

He said Doğan Enerji’s activities in the Arbil project were still continuing along with Gas Plus Erbil Company, 50 percent of which is owned by Dubai-based Al Zarooni and the remaining 50 percent by Doğan Enerji. 

“This company has 40 percent of the stakes in the Arbil field. The remaining 40 percent is owned by Norwegian DNO and 20 percent by the Kurdistan Regional Government,” he said. 

Kutadgu noted the recent claims in Yeni Şafak and some other media outlets are far from being honorable, and condemned the reports vigorously in the statement, adding the group has started judicial process against these publications.