Ousted Turkey Bank Chief Takes 'Illegal' Seizure Decision to Court
The ousted chief executive of a Turkish bank linked to the top foe of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said the deposed leadership was appealing the "illegal" decision in court.
Turkey's state-run Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF) late Tuesday seized control of Bank Asya, which is linked to Erdogan's former ally turned enemy, the U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.
The entire leadership of the bank -- who comprised its main shareholders -- were sacked in a move that shocked commentators.
"We trust the judicial system. We have to trust it. Our only option is to go to court," the ousted chief executive of Bank Asya, Ahmet Beyaz told Agence France Presse in an interview.
"Our shareholders went to court and opened a case. We'll have to wait for some time before a decision. That's our only option now."
The TMSF took control of Bank Asya, an Islamic bank which is Turkey's number 10 financial institution, citing a lack of transparency.
The opposition denounced the swoop as a "scandal" but Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has insisted that it was not political.
"Everyone is going to see that this is illegal. I cannot say if it's political or not, I only can say this is not legal," said Beyaz.
He pointed out that Bank Asya is not a small bank. "We have around 4.5 million customers."
The seizure of the bank appears to be the latest crackdown against Gulen's powerful movement known as "Hizmet", which brings together interests ranging from finance to schools to media.
Erdogan accuses Gulen and his followers of being behind the sweeping corruption probe that rocked his government while he was prime minister.
However Erdogan and Gulen were seen as close allies until recent years. Gulen and Erdogan had both attended the launch of Bank Asya in October 1996, smiling broadly alongside then prime minister Tansu Ciller.
Gulen has been based in the United States since 1999 but Washington has as yet shown little interest in repeated requests by the Turkish government to extradite him.
Source: Agence France Presse
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