Asil Nadir

Asil Nadir
Born (1941-05-01) 1 May 1941 (age 83)
NationalityTurkish Cypriot
Alma materIstanbul University
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1980–2016
TitleCEO of Polly Peck
Term1980–90
SuccessorCompany bankrupt and broken up
Criminal charge(s)False accounting and theft (13 specimen charges)
Criminal penalty10 years (served 1 day in Turkey)
Criminal statusReleased by Republic of Turkey (after 1 day in jail)
Spouses
Ayşegül Tecimer
(m. 1962; div. 1989)
Nur Nadir
(m. 2005)
Children6

Asil Nadir (born 1 May 1941) is a British Turkish Cypriot businessman,[1] who was chief executive of Polly Peck, which he took over as a small textile company, growing it during the 1980s to become one of the United Kingdom's top 100 FTSE-listed companies, with interests in consumer electronics, fruit distribution and packaging.

In 1990, Polly Peck collapsed following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office and charges were brought against Asil Nadir on 70 counts of false accounting and theft, which he denied.[2] From 1993 until 2010 Nadir lived in northern Cyprus, having fled there to escape a trial in the UK. He remained a fugitive from British justice until 26 August 2010, when he returned to London to face trial. His trial commenced at the Old Bailey on 3 September 2010, on 13 specimen charges of false accounting and theft totalling £34 million.[3] He was found guilty of 10 counts of theft totalling £29 million and on 23 August 2012 was sentenced to 10 years in prison.[4] In 2016, Nadir was transferred to serve the rest of his sentence in Turkey, but was released one day later.

  1. ^ "Applause for Asil Nadir as he returns to work". famagusta-gazette.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  2. ^ Shah, Saeed (11 November 2003). "Asil Nadir hires top criminal barrister for defence". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 27 November 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Fugitive Polly Peck tycoon Asil Nadir returns to UK". BBC News. 26 August 2010. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Asil Nadir jailed for 1 years for Polly Peck thefts". London: BBC News. 22 August 2012.