Turkish authorities detain 72 in second crackdown on fake citizenship scheme

In a second phase of the probe into illegal citizenship acquisition, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that 72 people were taken into custody. The operation, led by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and executed by the Istanbul Provincial Police, examined sales by Gül Inşaat AŞ, Beyaz Inşaat and LIV Inşaat that involved 734 foreign nationals. Authorities concluded that 274 of these sales were fabricated, enabling 1,070 persons, plus family members, to obtain Turkish passports, while 11 were still in the process.

The fraudulent deals were valued at over TL 3.5 billion. Judicial actions now target 88 suspects, and precautionary steps have been applied to more than 2,000 properties, a hotel, dozens of vehicles, yachts and bank accounts, with thirty companies placed under trusteeship.