Ship of Turkish President's Son Implicated in ISIS Oil Trade
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Monday, December 14, 2015
According to the Independent, oil tankers owned by Bilal Erdogan, son President Erdogan, has involved in the illicit oil trade with Islamic State (ISIS). The ships are registered in Malta and all fly the Maltese flag.
Russia's allegations of Turkish involvement in ISIS' oil trade have focused primarily on the Turkish president's son, Bilal Erdogan.
The 34-year-old is one of three equal partners in the BMZ group, a major Turkish oil and marine shipping company, which both the Russian and Syrian governments have accused of purchasing oil from ISIS.
Officials as well as Russian and Syrian media said Bilal Erdogan is involved directly in the oil trade with IS. They said that Turkish warplanes shot down Russian mainly aimed at protecting the illicit oil trade of Bilal.
Regional politics, propaganda and the Russia-Turkey sabre-rattling aside, the crux of the matter as far as Malta is concerned is that the fleet of five tankers owned by Erdogan's son, which are being linked to the illegal trade, are all registered in Malta.
Should the accusations continue to grow in this respect, Transport Malta would eventually be called in to investigate since the ships fly the Maltese maritime flag.
Last September, the BMZ Group purchased two oil tankers from the Malta-based Oil Transportation & Shipping Services Co Ltd, which is owned by Azerbaijani billionaire Mubariz Mansimov and which is reported to be an affiliate of the BMZ Group.