Operation Against Illegally Obtained Citizenship: 687 People's Citizenship to be Revoked

A significant operation has been carried out in Turkey as part of an investigation into illegally obtained citizenship. Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that 72 suspects were detained in an operation against a criminal organization found to have illegally granted Turkish citizenship to foreign nationals.During the investigation, it was discovered that low-value properties were shown to be high-value through fake expert reports and that foreign nationals were granted Turkish citizenship through fictitious sales transactions.In the operation, detention warrants were issued for 90 suspects, and 72 suspects were detained in 16 provinces centered in Istanbul.Minister Gürlek stated that 687 people were found to have obtained Turkish citizenship through this method and that work has begun to revoke their citizenship.The investigation suggested that approximately 2.5 billion lira, which was supposed to enter the country, did not, and instead, fictitious financial transactions were created, and benefits were obtained from foreign nationals seeking citizenship.As part of the operation, 7 companies were seized and a trustee was appointed. Additionally, 1045 properties, a hotel in Bodrum, 15 vehicles, a yacht, and 10 bank accounts were seized.