In it its weekly bulletin, the SPK accused Doğan, İmre Barmanbek, Hanzade Vasfiye Doğan Boyner and Ali Rıza Temuroğlu for causing financial losses to Hürriyet Gazetecilik and Doğan Gazetecilik. The SPK claimed that Doğan Holding purchased paper and publishing supplies at higher producer/seller unit prices from companies owned by the Doğan family -- Sortal Trading Company Limited and Shawcliff Trading Limited -- instead of direct producers. This, the SPK contends, cost Hürriyet Gazetecilik and Doğan Gazetecilik TL 33.12 million, excluding interest. The SPK reported that it would take the case to court and accuse persons found to be involved in the incident by an SPK investigation. The SPK accused several Doğan Holding executives, including Doğan himself, of the same charge last year as well.
Doğan and Başbuğ to meet over tax fine issue, Taraf daily claims
Problems faced by Doğan Holding are not confined to this alone. The Taraf daily reported on Saturday that Doğan will meet with Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ on Monday in order to discuss the recent $2.5 billion fine levied on Doğan Yayın Holding, a subsidiary of Doğan Holding, for alleged tax irregularities, an accusation which was immediately denied by Doğan.
According to the daily, the appointment with Başbuğ was arranged at the request of Doğan in order to find ways to ease the tax fine levied on the firm. An anonymous military official was reported as saying the agenda of the meeting was the fine levied on the firm and it was recorded as a “special subject” in appointment records. The meeting, which will take place at the office of Gen. Başbuğ, will also be attended by Soner Gedik, a board member of the holding, and two other senior journalists working for the Doğan Media Group, the daily claimed.
The allegation was denied by Doğan on Sunday. Speaking to the Taraf daily, Doğan said he did not request any appointment to meet with Başbuğ. “Even though I know Gen. Başbuğ in person and we have a good friendship, I am not going to meet with him in these days in order to prevent any possible misunderstandings,” Doğan is reported as saying, claiming the allegation is based on wrong information.
Upon his denial, the Taraf daily reaffirmed its claims, reporting further claims on Sunday that it was not the only appointment Gen. Başbuğ had given to Doğan. According to the latest news, the first appointment between Doğan and Başbuğ was arranged to take place on Sept. 14 at 3 a.m. -- only five days before the announcement of the fine was made. But Doğan was unable to attend that meeting due to health problems. Another appointment was then scheduled for Sept. 28, the time of which was to be arranged by Doğan through telephone later on, the daily reported.
A record fine was levied on Doğan Yayın for TL 3.76 billion ($2.53 billion) for evading taxes regarding its accounts for a time period covering 2005, 2006 and 2007 by the Finance Ministry in early September.
Turkey's tax office asked Doğan Yayın on Sept. 24 to raise TL 4.8 billion ($3.24 billion) within 15 days as a guarantee for the fine. The guarantee is a combination of the fine itself plus interest on the fine. The Halkalı Tax Office had sent notifications to Doğan Yayın, stating movable and immovable properties provided as a guarantee by the firm could be sold at the end of the legal process unless Doğan Yayın was declared not guilty. In the event that Doğan Yayın is unable to provide a guarantee equivalent to the asked amount in the required period, a lien will be placed on the companies of the holding by the Ministry of Finance.
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