Aydin Dogan, ranked the 486th richest person in the world by Forbes in 2006, has sued writer Fuat Ugur, the Hürhaber (Free News) website and Ertugrul Acar for an article entitled "Let the Army Go to Northern Iraq, and POAS too, Of Course..." which was published on the Hürhaber and the Forth Force Media (Dördüncü Kuvvet Medya) news websites on 24 October.

Claiming that he was insulted, Dogan is demanding 100,000 YTL  (around 55,690 Euros) compensation.

The case will commence at the Istanbul Court of First Instance on 25 December.

"Let him look for and find petrol"

The article contains the following sentences: "I too think that the Turkish Armed Forces should enter Northern Iraq at once, occupy the necessary places; the Barzani government should become our puppet. Then Aydin Dogan, together with POAS, the company listed as avoiding taxes, make use of the state of emergency and settle in the Northern Iraqi areas richest in petrol. Let him look for and find petrol, let him extract it and let him make lots of money."

Aydin Dogan's lawyers wrote in their statement of claim for court that their client Aydin Dogan had served the state of the Turkish Republic honourable for nearly half a century, and that he was listed every year for the taxes he paid. Saying that he was crying for war in order to serve his own interests and calling him a "listed tax dodger" was extremely injurious and deliberate.

The statement further said that what the fiscal inspectors had called "tax avoidance of 1 billion 200 million YTL" was a a disagreement born from a misunderstanding and resulted in POAS paying 300,000 YTL. The article was deemed to be unfair and slanderous.

"Eyes are turning with hatred" 

Ugur, Acar and the Free News site said they would sue in response to the refutation claim, which was published on the Forth Force Media site on the demand of the lawyers, as the statement injured their personal rights, honour and dignity.

They are going demand 100,000 YTL im compensation.

Part of the statement read: "...the article is the product of a diseased mentality which tries to profit from all events concerning our client and makes it its business to sling mud. Such a conspiracy, which would not enter the mind of anyone saying 'I am Turkish'  and the desire to slander our client can only be explained by the darkness those whose eyes are turning with hatred have fallen into." (EÖ/AG)