Ministry refutes New York Times article
The Ministry of Treasury and Finance has refuted the New York Times article written by Jo Becker and Justin Scheck.
12punto
The Ministry of Treasury and Finance stated, "The New York Times article dated December 16, 2023, written by Jo Becker and Justin Scheck, contains misleading information regarding Turkey's fight against the financing of terrorism and distorts the facts."
"CONTAINS MISLEADING INFORMATION"
The statement made by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance is as follows:
"The New York Times article dated December 16, 2023, written by Jo Becker and Justin Scheck, contains misleading information regarding Turkey's fight against the financing of terrorism and distorts the facts. The Turkish financial system, monitored by many regulatory and supervisory authorities such as the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK), the Capital Markets Board (SPK), and the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), operates in full compliance with national legislation and international obligations.
The New York Times article gives the impression that the publicly traded company in question has links to Hamas due to an individual who held a minority stake in the company in the past and another individual who served as a professional manager in the same company in the past. However, Turkish authorities have examined the financial activities and status of all relevant natural and legal persons in detail and have determined that our country's financial system has not been abused.
Similarly, the absence of any significant outflow of financial assets refutes the claim that the company in question is linked to the attack on October 7, 2023.
Turkish authorities have shared these findings with their US counterparts and with US Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson and his team during their recent visit to Ankara, and have not encountered any evidence to the contrary.
Turkey is determined to fight against the financing of terrorism. It will continue to work closely with all our allies, especially the United States."
Press Release - December 18, 2023 pic.twitter.com/mPZko5NuU1
— T.C. Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı (@HMBakanligi) December 18, 2023
The US-based New York Times newspaper had claimed that 'Hamas obtained financial income through a company based in Turkey'.