Bank Asya account holders threatened against making deposits

Holders of accounts with the Islamic lender Bank Asya have reportedly been subjected to threats about making deposits, while being urged to withdraw money from their accounts. Individuals said they had received calls from blocked numbers who had mysteriously obtained information regarding their bank account. The aim of the government seems to be to create panic among depositors of the bank and to frighten them so that they will rush to withdraw their money, throwing the bank into a liquidity crisis that would eventually justify the nationalization of the bank. Observers have called on BDDK head Mukim Öztekin to step down because the watchdog's reputation as an independent institution has become highly questionable since these recent developments.