NEWS CENTER - Albayrak has deleted his Twitter account and announced his resignation on Instagram, citing health problems. The silence of official sources and major media outlets has led to rumors that his accounts have been hacked.

 

Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak has announced that he has resigned from his post due to health problems.

 

Albayrak, who is also the son-in-law of President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been under heavy criticism lately over the US dollar's sharp rise against the Turkish lira.

 

Posting a statement on his Instagram account at around 7.05 p.m. local time (4.05 p.m. GMT), Albayrak said that he would spend time more with his family after "neglecting" them for years because of his duties.

 

His Twitter account was also deleted at around the same time.

 

Erdoğan on Friday (November 6) replaced Central Bank Governor Murat Uysal with the Presidency's Strategy and Budget Director Naci Ağbal, who also served as the Minister of Treasury between November 2015 and July 2018. 

 

As no official sources have confirmed or denied Albayrak's resignation and no major media outlets have reported his statement, rumors have spread on Twitter that his social media accounts have been hacked.

 

Albayrak served as the Minister of Energy between November 2015 and July and 2018 and was then appointed as the Minister of Treasury and Finance.

 

"The plants we have sown in economy, just as we did in energy, will turn into great planes and inshallah, we will witness that they will make our country reach the goal of full independence. I have no doubt about that," he said in the statement.

 

"Thank God for granting me the privilege of serving my country and the ummah [all Muslims around the world] in this five year period, which can be considered one of the most critical periods in Turkey's history," he added.