Mother Of Akın İpek: My Son Did Not Flee, Never Engaged In Any Illegal Act

Melek İpek, the mother of Koza İpek Holding CEO Akın İpek, has denied a claim made by some pro-government media outlets saying that the executive fled abroad to avoid Tuesday's police raids on the holding's companies, saying that her son has not fled the country and that he will not do so in the future because he has not engaged in anything illegal or inappropriate.

Auditors accompanied by a police escort conducted a raid on the headquarters of Koza İpek Holding in Ankara on Tuesday morning as simultaneous raids on subsidiaries of the group were also carried out elsewhere, as part of a Justice and Development Party (AK Party)-initiated media crackdown. The Bugün and Millet dailies, TV stations Bugün TV and Kanaltürk and the website BGNNews.com are all subsidiaries of the İpek Media Group.

Among the locations raided at about 8 a.m. on Tuesday was the İpek University campus in Ankara.

Speaking to reporters in front of the Koza İpek Holding office building on Wednesday, Melek İpek was asked whether her son had run off to England, as was claimed by some pro-government media outlets in their Wednesday publications. She responded that Akın İpek has not fled to England and that he never will do such a thing, adding: “Because there is nothing that would necessitate flight. They will not be able to find any misconduct by Akın even if they search seven floors below the ground or seven floors up in the sky. They will not be able to find anything.”

İpek's mother went on to say that these difficult days are temporary, adding: “Those who do this [those behind the operation against her son's companies] are not my enemies. This is the sorrowful part of the story. It seems to me that two brothers are fighting with each other. I am very saddened [by this]. My son has never been involved in any wrongdoing. God willing, he will not be in the future, either. What we have done as a family is to share our bread with people. We have not even hurt an ant. Not discriminating against anyone, we have tried to help every person in need. We will also continue like this in the future. No one can divert us from our path. I strongly condemn what is happening now.”

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)