ANKARA - Servet Harunoglu, a shareholder of the Anadolu Joint Initiative Group bidding for Turkish Oil Refineries (Tupras), said on Wednesday that they made a revised bid.
Speaking on SKY Turk television channel, Harunoglu said that with respect to laws and interests of Turkey, Tupras should be sold by public auction.
In yesterday's auction, Efremov Kautschuk GmbH-Zorlu Holding consortium made the highest bid of 1 billion 302 million U.S. dollars to buy a 65.76 percent stake of the state in Tupras. Sources said yesterday that the Anadolu Joint Initiative Group's bid was also above 1 billion U.S. dollars.
WORKERS HOLD DEMONSTRATION IN ALIAGA TO PROTEST PRIVATIZATION OF TUPRAS
Turkish Oil Refineries (Tupras) workers held a demonstration on Wednesday in front of the entrance gate of the company's refinery in Aliaga town of western province of Izmir to protest privatization of 65.76 percent stake of the state in the company.
Speaking during the demonstration, Union of Turkish Petroleum Chemistry Tires Workers (Petrol-Is) Aliaga Office Chairman Ibrahim Dogangul said, ''with privatization of Tupras, another privatization crime has been committed.''
Noting that Tupras of which foundation value was 7 billion U.S. dollars and estimated value was 2.3 billion U.S. dollars was left to Efremov Kautschuk GmbH-Zorlu Holding consortium that made a 1.3 billion U.S. dollars bid, Dogangul said, ''Zorlu Holding gets used to join in the last minute the companies which have already made bid for the profitable privatization auctions. Zorlu Holding which announced that it would set up joint venture with Efremov GmbH that carries out commercial affairs of Tatarstan state-run oil company Tatneft, has become the shareholder of the company before it is set up.''
Dogangul claimed that Privatization Administration Board (OIB) had committed crime by violating Article 2 of the Law no: 4046 and the Law on Right to Get Information as it had not announced the minimum limit of bid for Tupras.
Claiming that 470 shareholders of Tupras would suffer 30-50 percent loss due to 'low' bid, Dogangul said, ''Tupras is natural monopoly. This privatization would result in private monopoly. And all society would have to bear negative effects of this privatization.''
Workers who protested privatization by chanting slogans dispersed peacefully. Also Petro-Chemistry Enterprises (Petkim) workers supported the demonstration.
(MS-AY) 14.01.2004