Sani Şener, Chairman of the Board of TAV Construction, who was taken into custody on 19 January as part of a Tunisia-linked investigation conducted in France, was released as of 3 February following an assessment by judicial authorities.
“He was not in office” emphasis draws attention
In a previous statement from Şener’s office, it was recalled that he had stepped down from all his positions at TAV Airports in 2022. The statement noted that the investigation in Tunisia concerns investments from a previous period and that Şener was taken into custody solely for the purpose of obtaining his information. While the detention was described as “unjust, unfounded and disproportionate,” it was emphasised that Şener was ready to voluntarily share all information with the authorities if invited. It was also noted that high-level contacts between the governments of Türkiye and France continued throughout the process.
A key figure in global aviation
Sani Şener, one of the founding partners of TAV Airports, which was established in 1997 with the Istanbul Atatürk Airport Build-Operate-Transfer Project, served for many years as CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board. Under Şener’s leadership, TAV became a global operator active at 15 airports in eight countries, serving approximately 100 million passengers annually.
Following Şener’s release, the legal framework of the investigation and the future course of the case are expected to become clearer in the coming days.
