Turkey's TİGEM director met pistachio seller before disputed 90‑million‑lira tender

In 2023 the Turkish Agriculture Enterprises General Directorate (TİGEM) sold 1,440 tons of Antep pistachios, valued at roughly 90 million lira, to Crypto Carbon Energy. The transaction was secured with a guarantee bond from an insurance company instead of a bank letter of credit, a bond that later proved to be forged, leaving TİGEM unable to collect payment. The firm’s owner, Hasan Karaozan, was reported to have fled abroad.

New allegations claim that TİGEM General Manager Hasan Gezginç met with Karaozan three to four times in the directorate before the tender, despite earlier statements that he did not know the owner. The matter has been raised in the Turkish Parliament’s KİT Commission, prompting calls for clarification of the pre‑tender meetings and the role they may have played in the disputed procurement.