The statements of Neslihan Vural, Head of Financial Services Department of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), that İGDAŞ will be privatized through a public offering made a public outcry. IBB President İmamoğlu was asked about the issue. Imamoğlu stated that Vural made a statement that exceeded her limits and stated that the public offering of İGDAŞ is possible, but it has not yet come to the table.
Neslihan Vural, the head of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (IBB) Financial Services Department, said that the CHP’s majority in the municipal council has allowed the municipality to move forward with plans to secure funding, including an IPO of IGDAŞ.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Vural said that İGDAŞ could be offered to the public at a valuation of up to 10 billion dollars, a statement that was widely publicized.
‘ISPARK and Halk Ekmek may be next’ Vural stated that parking lot company ISPARK, water company Hamidiye and cheap bread producer Halk Ekmek are among the potential assets for sale. He said that ISPARK could be next in line after İGDAŞ, but that this was not yet on the agenda.
While some economists oppose privatization, others argue that it could be a positive step in terms of fundraising.
IMM’s IGDAŞ plan: IPO with $10 billion valuation Ekrem IMM President Ekrem İmamoğlu was asked about Neslihan Vural’s statements. Responding to journalists in Rome, Imamoğlu’s evaluations were as follows:
“A bureaucrat made a statement that was out of line. There is a parliamentary decision from the past regarding the privatization of İGDAŞ. Does public offering mean privatization? Not in the full sense. Is an IPO possible? It is possible. But these issues are not the agenda of our bureaucrat friends.
These issues are discussed in society and handled within that framework. With a socialist and publicist approach, there are publicist applications of these on financial grounds. It can be developed. Is it not on our agenda? No, it is. But this issue has not yet even been placed on the negotiation table.
Its contents are issues that need to be examined in detail. This is an outrageous statement. With a populist, publicist and communitarian understanding, the methods for these exist on a world scale. But there is not even a negotiated ground at our table.”
