State-controlled Halkbank has filed a lawsuit against the BirGün newspaper and its columnist Timur Soykan, seeking 1 million Turkish liras (~36,000 US dollars) in damages. The lawsuit concerns a report that alleged the bank had issued significant amounts of loans to companies linked to an organized crime figure.
The lawsuit claims that the article, titled “550 Million liras of loan to the mafia,” damaged the bank’s commercial reputation.
The report in question, authored by Soykan, claims that Halkbank granted loans amounting to over 550 million liras to businesses affiliated with Ayhan Bora Kaplan, who is currently remanded in custody and being tried for managing an organized crime syndicate. The article was based on findings from the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) report, which detailed the financial activities of Kaplan and his network.
Following the publication of the report, Halkbank filed a complaint that led to İstanbul Anadolu 9th Penal Judgeship of Peace censoring the article, claiming it tarnished the bank’s reputation by associating it with organized crime. The lawsuit has been accepted by the İstanbul Anadolu 6th Commercial Court.
Halkbank, already under international scrutiny for separate allegations involving sanctions evasion, has not commented publicly on the lawsuit beyond its legal filings.
BirGün’s response
In response to the lawsuit, BirGün's chair of the board, İbrahim Aydın, stated that such legal actions are attempts to stifle press freedom but insisted they would not affect the newspaper's editorial stance.
"These are issues with significant news value, especially considering the severe economic crisis the country is facing," Aydın said. He emphasized that their reports are based on concrete data and indictment documents, highlighting the public interest in uncovering potentially illicit financial dealings.
Aydın asserted that the allegations concerning loans to criminal organizations are especially problematic and reiterated BirGün’s commitment to its journalistic principles, despite legal pressures. (HA/VK)