Red notice for Turkish businessman

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

The UK and the Turks and Caicos have issued a red notice for businessman Cem Kınay over bribery allegations. Hürriyet photo

A red notice has been issued for a renowned Turkish businessman Cem Kınay, in the United Kingdom, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory.

A bribery scandal broke out as allegations that Michael Misick, a former chief minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands, had accepted bribes were supported by several documents disclosed by Wikileaks, a whistle-blowing website.

Kınay paid a bribe of $500,000 to Misick, according to claims. Kınay purchased a number of tropical islands in the West Indies and is the former owner of Magiclife, a tourism firm.

All the allegations and legal processes on bribery were politically motivated from the beginning, Kınay told daily Hürriyet on July 10, adding that he was shocked when he heard about the red notice in the southwestern resort of Datça.

Kınay criticizes decision
“It is no secret where I live. So why is there a red notice? The English see no harm in victimizing people like me for the sake of their political goals,” he said, adding that he had voluntarily bore testimony before.

Noting that had embarked on a $1 billion investment in tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Kınay said: “Missick, who was accused of fraud, was impeached. Our investments came to a halt … I will prove my innocence.”

A land in Joe Grant Cay was sold to a consortium led by Kınay under the market value, after he donated $500,000 to one of Misick’s political campaigns, according to a report by Sir Robin Auld, a former judge who led a commission tasked with investigating the case.