May 23, 2017•Update: May 23, 2017
ANKARA
Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak has no overseas bank account, his lawyer Ahmet Ozel said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement came following a report published by German magazine Der Spiegel on Monday claiming that Albayrak has a huge amount of money in Dubai and he was trying to bring them back to Turkey through illegal means.
Ozel strongly refuted the allegations stating that such kind of allegations without having any concrete evidence aimed to harm the reputation of Turkish government and its authorities.
He stated that the claims were false and aimed to harm the minister's reputation.
Ozel noted that some elements have been conducting a long-running campaign based on false news attempting to provoke Turkish citizens inside the country as well as abroad.
“My client Mr. Berat Albayrak has become the target of domestic collaborators of these dark and dirty foreign circles which are trying to wear him out through unreal allegations and reports contrary to the principles of media profession.”
He also stated that the Der Speigel’s report which has also been published in some Turkish newspaper was a clear violation of press freedom and an attack on individual rights of Albayrak.
The minister will submit lawsuit against the false allegations to seek justice, Ozel said.
Reporting by Baris Gundogan; Writing by Sorwar Alam
