Asil Nadir - Current Work

Current Work

Nadir now runs a business in northern Cyprus called the Kıbrıs Media Group, which inter alia publishes the newspaper Kıbrıs (Turkish for 'Cyprus') and the English language bi-weekly Cyprus Today. It also owns a radio and TV station. Nadir's outlets published articles critical of the Republican Turkish Party/Reform Party coalition government in the run-up to the April 2009 general election and actively supported the then opposition National Unity Party and Democratic Party. Perhaps as a result of this, on 12 March 2009 Kıbrıs Media Group was suddenly presented with a tax demand in the amount of 11 million Turkish Lira ($6.3 million) payable the following day, on pain of the sequestration of its assets. Leading opposition politicians branded this action as an attempt to gag the free media. The 14 March 2009 edition of Cyprus Today appeared as usual. The Republican Turkish Party and its coalition partner the Reform Party lost massively in the general election and the coalition government was replaced by the National Unity Party which won an overall majority. However, during the previous general election in April 2005, the positions were reversed. Nadir's papers published articles critical of the National Unity Party/Democratic Party coalition government and actively supported the then opposition Republican Turkish Party and Reform Party which came to power.

It is unclear if the government will forgive Nadir and reconsider the tax demand of the previous coalition government for his help in defeating the previous administration or press ahead. However, ministers subsequently awarded him a multi-million-euro contract to operate Lefkoniko Airport in northern Cyprus.