An Istanbul prosecutor has ordered the arrest of ten executives of the holding company and the seizure of their assets, which include three television channels, on suspicion of fraud, Turkish media reported.

The assets of 121 companies, including the television channels Haberturk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT, owned by Can Holding, were confiscated for "fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering," said the prosecutor's office in Kucukcekmece, a district of Istanbul, quoted by Turkish state television TRT Haber.

Can Holding, which owns gas stations, schools, and a private university, acquired three television channels in December 2024, including the economic channel Bloomberg HT, created in 2010 in partnership with Bloomberg News, AFP reported.

"The operation against Can Holding, which also owns Habertürk and Bloomberg HT, could serve to strengthen the government's control over the media, motivated by the desire for a unified voice," commented Erol Ondergul, representative of Reporters Without Borders in Turkey. | BGNES