ANKARA: In response to an inquiry submitted to Parliament by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Turkey’s customs minister confirmed the connection between two Iranian businessmen, Reza Zarrab, allegedly involved with wide scale government corruption in Turkey, and Babak Zanjani.
Customs and Trade Minister Cenap Aşçı, responding to an official inquiry, confirmed a report detailing gold imports and exports involving companies linked to Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab from 2011 and 2013. The report, authored by Customs and Trade Ministry’s chief inspector Mehmet Eryılmaz, was submitted to Parliament by Republican People’s Party (CHP) Parliamentary Group Deputy Chairman Levent Gök and published on Aug. 8, 2014.
Zarrab, who resides in Turkey, was a key figure in a major corruption and bribery investigation made public Dec. 17, 2013. The investigation implicated several senior Justice and Development Party (AK Party) officials. According to the graft probe, Zarrab is claimed to have distributed 137 million Turkish lira (66 million USD) in bribes to former ministers, their sons and possibly a number of other bureaucrats in order to cloak fictitious exports and money laundering.
Minister Aşçı confirmed information from the final section of the 651-page report, detailing the existence of two firms that imported gold bullion and four that exported it.
The report detailed the import and export of gold, and money transfers across Turkey, Iran, China, UAE and Russia between companies affiliated with Zarrab from 2011 and 2013. It highlighted the trade of over 100 tons of gold bullion between Zarrab’s companies as “highly suspicious.”
The report also asserted that there was a trade partnership between Zarrab and Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani, who was arrested on Dec. 30, 2013, by Iranian police for allegedly stealing 2.8 billion USD dollars from the state. A 200,000 page indictment was prepared for Zanjani.
Minister Aşçı added that the information had been submitted to the Treasury Department, the Finance Ministry and the Economy Ministry in order to prevent illegal exchange, foreign trade, tax fraud or money laundering.
