Çalık Holding

The Çalık Holding is one of Turkey's largest corporations to the 34 companies belong. The corporate headquarters is located in Merter, Istanbul. The Çalık Holding is active in the business areas of construction, energy, finance, textiles, logistics and media industry. The Group's equity amounted to 2007 850 million U.S. dollars.

History of establishment

The Çalık family grew around 1930 into a textile business. In 1980, the family is the Ortadogu Tekstil Tic. ve San A.Ş. This company is now seen as the basis of the success story Çalık. In the same year Çalık Energy was founded. The establishment of the holding company was in 1997.

Foreign operations

The Board of Directors of the Group, Ahmet Çalık, made the early 1990s textile investments in Turkmenistan. There he was able to quickly familiarize yourself with the late Saparmurat Niyazov popular president. He ordered the translation of the Ruhnama to Turkish and in English. The approach to the dictator went so far that it even gave him the post of deputy minister. During this time Çalık to have amassed a billion-dollar fortune. Furthermore, there are exposures of Calik Holding in Iraq and efforts to implement more projects in Iraq.

Criticism

The selling by the Turkish state media empire Sabah belong to the newspapers, magazines and television stations, was bought by the Çalık group as the sole bidder of the tender for 1.1 billion U.S. dollars on April 22, 2008. To purchase this media group Çalık received a loan of 770 million U.S. dollars from the state banks Halkbank and Vakıfbank. The sale throughout Turkey called forth a storm of indignation, not only because it gave preferential credit terms from state-owned banks, but also because Çalık has the reputation to have a special affinity for Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi. The then deputy leader of the opposition CHP, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu accused the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to have made ​​strong for borrowing. President Abdullah Gul admitted that he 'm Çalik with the ruler of Qatar Hamad Khalifa Al Thani has made known, which has in turn involved about one of his company to the media group with 25%.

They have been criticized Berat Albayrak also, the son Erdoğan, who was 29 years the CEO of the Çalık Group.

Further criticism arose when the company Çalık Holding translated the book of the Turkmen President Ruhnama into Turkish and English.

Swell

• Companies (Istanbul)