Turkey's Central Bank governor refutes claims on her dad’s involvement in bank

Turkey’s Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan has deemed the reportings that her father acted as an unofficial manager, firing some employees in the bank, and that the bank's social facilities were allocated to her family "deliberate and untrue."

Saturday January 20 2024 03:20 am

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Turkey’s Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan on Jan. 18 refuted the claims regarding her dad’s involvement in the bank.

Her announcement came after a series of allegations that were initiated with the complaint of Büşra Bozkurt, a Central Bank employee, made to the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER). Bozkurt claimed that Erol Erkan, Hafize Gaye Erkan’s father, dismissed her, and that he was mobbing the employees, the daily Sözcü reported on Jan. 18.

Bokzurt said Erol Erkan told her “We've come all the way from America for you all. Our whole order was disrupted,” and threatened to dismiss her for asking to not work until late hours.

Moreover, Bozkurt claimed that the Erkan family closed the bank’s social facility and the İzmir camp to current and retired employees for their private use. She also said Erol Erkan was allocated a room in the bank and he could give orders to the general managers.

In response, Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan said in a social media post that “deliberate and untruthful news that destroys confidence in our Bank by targeting me and my family have been circulated in recent days.”

Son günlerde şahsım ve ailemi hedef almak suretiyle, Bankamıza yönelik güven bozucu, kasıtlı ve gerçeklerle bağdaşmayan haberler dolaşıma sokulmuştur.

Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde ekonomi ve iş dünyasının önemli isimleriyle gerçekleştirdiğimiz ve son derece verimli geçen…
— Hafize Gaye Erkan (@hafizegayeerkan) January 18, 2024

“I would like to share with the public my astonishment and regret at these baseless allegations, which I learned about during the highly productive meetings we held in the United States with prominent figures from the economic and business world. Unfounded news that accuses me and our Bank are unacceptable. I will exercise my legal rights against those responsible,” she added.

After her announcement, columnist Erdal Sağlam on Jan. 19 argued that the Governor might had been in the United States for 18 days and that the recent rumors might had been created discomfort in Ankara.

The governor previously stated that the rents in Istanbul were so high that she could not find a house and moved in with her mother.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Wall Street banker Hafize Gaye Erkan as central bank chief after his May re-election. She has led a policy U-turn to relieve an economy strained by depleted FX reserves and surging inflation expectations.