Cem Uzan (born 26 December 1960,

İstanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_in ...

) is a Turkish businessman and politician involved in the media and banking industries, while also

chairing The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

the social liberal Young Party (GP). His family's media empire (

Uzan Group Uzan Group was a Turkish conglomerate owned by Cem Uzan. The group formerly owned (via the Star Media Group) Star TV, which it had founded as the first private broadcaster of the country, Metro FM, and the '' Star'' newspaper it launched in 1999. O ...

) at one time included both television stations and print media. His family was one of Turkey's most influential families. His supporters claim Uzan's political rivalry resulted in the group's companies being seized by the government under Prime Minister

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as mayor of Istanbul from 1994 t ...

, eventually resulting in Uzan's flight to France to escape what he claimed was political persecution. He has been sentenced ''in absentia'' to jail terms in the UK, USA and Turkey for fraud-related offences. This followed closely on the heels of his conviction in the United States for fraud and came as the case was being put together in Turkey for racketeering and fraud leading many to believe he was escaping a likely conviction and prison term in Turkey. He was granted political asylum in Paris after the French government granted his request Uzan attempted to buy three units of

Trump World Tower Trump World Tower is a residential condominium building in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The tower is located at 845 United Nations Plaza, on First Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets. It was developed ...

, but he ultimately defaulted on the contract and lost an $8 million deposit. Cem Uzan announced his intention to run for president in 2023 Turkish presidential election.

Criticism

Uzan has often been criticized for using his professional life to bolster his political life, and even benefiting from criminal charges leveled against him. In 2003, U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff commented, "I think the proof is very strong that the Uzans are business imperialists of the worst kind, in that they will go to any lengths, including fraud and racketeering, to preserve their business empire..." Cem Uzan responded by asserting that the judge "is biased against

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, against the Turkish people."

Fraud and convictions

In December 2002, a U.K. court sentenced Cem Uzan to 15 months imprisonment for contempt of court after he failed to appear in the U.K. to testify in a case involving a $4.3billion defrauding of

Motorola Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorola ...

corporation. In 2009, Motorola and Nokia won a $4.8 billion judgement against the Uzan family. The Uzans failed to show up in court and the judge ordered an arrest warrant for them should they enter the United States. In 2009, he fled to France claiming political asylum. The request was granted by the French government. He was later indicted of racketeering in Turkey. After his flight to France, Uzan was sentenced in absentia in Turkey to twenty-three years in prison on 15 April 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzan, Cem 1960 births Living people People from Adapazarı Turkish political party founders Leaders of political parties in Turkey Deutsche Schule Istanbul alumni Young Party politicians Turkish newspaper publishers (people) Turkish mass media owners Turkish expatriates in France Turkish people of Bosniak descent 20th-century Turkish businesspeople