"Everyone Knows This Is A Political Lynching"

What do you think of the government crackdown on your family businesses? Everyone knows this is a political lynching. There is no country in the world that does to you what [Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has done to my family.

Motorola's complaint states that your company, Telsim, never intended to pay back its loans. It also says your family has tried to intimidate Motorola into dropping the suit A bunch of outright lies. The intention to settle was there all the time. This family has never said we will not pay. Not once.

So when will you pay? We have to wait until the litigation ends, right?

What has been the highlight of your business career to date? The takeover of the [Cukurova Electricity company] in 1993. It was the first and only hostile takeover in Turkish history.

What impact have the recent legal penalties had on your business? Their aim was to destroy our business reputation and they were successful at it.

How has the freeze on your international assets, including Swiss bank accounts and Park Avenue apartments, affected you? The assets frozen would not be enough to cover [Motorola's] legal fees. Besides, 99% of our assets are in Turkey.

Ninety-nine percent? Okay, 98% — correct me if I'm wrong!

What about the travel ban? It would be a problem if I could not travel in Turkey. That's what matters.

Why did you decide to enter politics in 2002? I wanted to give something back to Turkey. The country is being run by people who are not up to the task. I am a successful businessman. I can give the same success to the Turkish economy.

But you opposed the IMF recommendations. I know how the Turkish economy can be reconstructed without the imf. The interest rates are horrendous. Turkish people are starving to service that debt.

You have been compared to Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi because you mix business with politics. Do you model yourself on him? Well, he is Prime Minister. I don't say he is a role model, but he is Prime Minister!