Visa Consultancy Investigation: 38 Suspects Face Detention Request

In the investigation into visa consultancy in Istanbul, 38 out of 41 suspects who were found to have accessed online appointment systems with software and collected high fees from citizens were referred to the court with a request for detention. The investigation, conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, resulted in the completion of procedures for the 41 suspects at the gendarmerie. After health checks, the suspects were taken to the Istanbul Justice Palace in Çağlayan. Of those presented to the prosecutor's office, 38 were sent to the on-duty criminal court of peace with a request for detention, while 3 were sent with a request for judicial control measures. Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek stated that these individuals and companies accessed the online appointment systems of consulates and authorized intermediary institutions using 'bot' software, collectively obtaining appointments and making it virtually impossible for citizens to obtain appointments directly.

The investigation found that citizens were charged high fees under the names of 'software', 'consultancy', and 'service fee' with guarantees of obtaining visas or appointments within certain periods, and that the promised services were not provided, refunds were not made, and the personal data of applicants were transferred to private digital systems.

Gürlek reported that simultaneous operations were conducted at 63 addresses, and legal proceedings were carried out for the detention of 49 suspects.