Doğan Holding issues statement

ISTANBUL

Doğan Holding issued a written statement yesterday on leaked recordings allegedly showing PM Erdoğan interfering in a court case involving Doğan Holding Honorary Chairman Aydın Doğan.

“A voice recording, which is certainly illegal, was published on the Internet last night. It includes a phone conversation allegedly between the prime minister and the former justice minister. In the recording, which we do not want to believe is real, the prime minister speaks to the former justice minister about a judicial process regarding Doğan Holding Honorary Chairman Aydın Doğan, which repeatedly ended in a dismissal of proceedings and acquittals. Such a meeting is a clear interference in the judicial process. The conversation also includes calls for the Capital Markets Board [SPK], which should be independent and impartial, to act to influence the case,” the statement read.

“Our Constitution states that the judiciary and the executive are independent of each other. The independence of the judiciary is a fundamental of a democratic regime based on the rule of law.

Therefore, if correct, such a conversation will further shake the judicial system in Turkey beyond creating a personal grievance,” it also said.

“We expect immediate proof that this conversation did not take place and that the recording is not real. It is a moral and conscientious responsibility for all of us to maintain the constitutional system and justice and help the facts come out,” the statement added.