Sale of TELE1 channel suspended by TMSF decision

The sales process for the television channel TELE1, which was placed under trusteeship following the arrest of Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardağ, has been suspended due to an unexpected development. In a statement issued by the TMSF, it was reported that the sale, which was scheduled to take place on June 17, was halted in accordance with the Fund's request.

The channel's lawyers had filed an application with the Istanbul 10th Administrative Court for the cancellation of the sale and a stay of execution. In the petition sent to the court by the TMSF, it was stated, "It has been decided to cancel the tender and withdraw the aforementioned commercial and economic integrity from sale. The case has become moot."

The lawyers had argued that the 28 million lira price tag set after the announcement of the sale was far too low and that even the claims of the channel's employees could not be paid with this amount.

'THIS IS NOT A COURT DECISION'

Commenting on the matter, Bilgütay Hakkı Durna, the lawyer for TELE1 Editor-in-Chief Merdan Yanardağ, said, "First of all, it must be underlined that this decision is not a court decision, but a decision by the TMSF."

Durna further stated, "We had said that even the employees' claims could not be covered with this set price. Although this was clear from the very beginning, the TMSF has now made such a decision. We do not know the background of this decision. However, this decision could be abandoned tomorrow and the channel could be put up for sale again. Therefore, we want justice to be served in the cases we have filed as soon as possible, for Yanardağ to be free, and for TELE1 to once again be the channel of its employees."