Turkey's Uzan family sues Turkish energy ministry

ANKARA

Once head of one of the richest families in Turkey, businessman Cem Uzan is suing the Turkish government claiming that confiscation by Turkish authorities a decade ago, of assets belonging to the family caused them financial losses.

The Uzan Family are demanding 2.5 billion Euro's in losses from the Turkish government after their electricity companies CEAŞ and Kepez were seized by the government around a decade ago, claim the family.

The family lost a 2011 case against the Turkish government concerning another electricity company called Libananco. 

Libananco, a Greek Cyprus-based company whose major shareholders include Cem Uzan and Hakan Uzan, filed an arbitration claim against the Turkish Energy Ministry in 2006 with the Washington-based International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) for losses incurred after the government seized the company. The family were accused of siphoning off company assets. The family's claim in damages amount to more than $20 billion with interest.

Uzan, who once owned huge assets in different industry sectors including energy, banking and telecommunication, founded a political party in order to participate in Turkish elections in 2002 and 2007. His political ambition was thwarted when he was indicted of racketeering in Turkey and fled to France in 2009 claiming political asylum.

During a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz referring to the Uzan family said, "They are ticks, who are sucking Turkey's resources and wasting Turkey's time. Turkey will get rid of them". 

He added that the family has lost all their previous cases against Turkish government in international courts and now they are trying a different plan.

"We will defend even a penny that belongs to Turkish citizens," he said.

Uzan family was also sued by Motorola, U.S. telecommunication giant. The family was accused of hidding their assets to prevent Motorola Credit from collecting some $3 billion in damages from family's telecommunication company, Telsim Co. 

englishnews@aa.com.tr