To all our friends who are worried about today's news:
This morning at 5 AM, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality sent a building wreckage team to our office premises in Kuruçesme, Istanbul, to tear down the buildings we own. The background of the story is as follows:
The original building, built in the 1920s, was restored by us in 2006 using steel reinforcement to make it earthquake-proof, providing a safer working place for all employees and tenants after the devastating earthquake in 1999, which claimed approximately 20,000 lives. However, at the time of our reconstruction, the planning permission committee was still enforcing an outdated real-estate law that did not permit the use of materials other than the original ones used in the building's construction (part stone and part concrete). Although the planning commission unofficially permitted the reinforcement, they later took a committee decision to obtain a court order to tear down the steel reinforcement after press articles were published on illegally built constructions in 2008.
Recently, in 2010, the planning permissions committee updated the outdated law, permitting the usage of other materials. Nevertheless, that decision was not sufficient to reverse the tear-down decision of 2008. The decision was enforced today, exactly 10 years later (legally speaking, outside of the statute of limitations). Last week, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's (IBB) clean-up operations began with tearing down the world-renowned nightclub Reina and the restaurants on the Galatasaray Island Su Ada. Rumors indicate that these measures were taken against the Mayor of Istanbul, who is linked to the Gülen movement.
We have been able to remove all our belongings, and since 10 AM, our teams are back at work in two interim office locations that provide the necessary facilities for us to continue operations. Our mail system and all phones are working, and the safe operation of our fleet vessels is assured. Within a fortnight, we will have moved into a permanent new office.
We would like to extend our utmost gratitude to all family and friends who have called and offered their support, expressing their condolences.
Sincerely,
