Major blow to e-signature criminal organization: Prison sentences sought for 123 suspects

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched a comprehensive operation against an e-signature criminal organization that forged the e-signatures of public officials to create fake documents and gain illicit benefits. According to the indictment, charges have been filed against a total of 123 suspects, including organization leader Ziya Kadiroğlu and 18 other members.

ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES OF ORGANIZATION LEADER KADIROĞLU

The indictment, accepted by the Ankara 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance, states that Ziya Kadiroğlu, codenamed "Hoca," forged the e-signatures of public officials without their consent and used these signatures to gain unauthorized access to government systems. It is alleged that Kadiroğlu established the criminal organization and engaged in activities to reach individuals seeking to obtain documents and to expand his illegal operations.

The indictment also details the division of labor among the organization's members. It was noted that the members were organized to perform specific tasks and carried out instructions without question. It was determined that the defendants paid the organization leader "money in exchange for documents" to obtain professional training certificates and received "commissions" from this illegal trade.

FAKE DRIVER'S LICENSE FOR HIS SISTER

The indictment states that Ziya Kadiroğlu's stepsister, Canan Özkan, was also involved in fake driver's license transactions. Özkan faces allegations of altering driver's license information in the Ministry of National Education system and issuing a fake certificate by adding an "A2 Class Driver's License." The prosecution has requested a 6-year prison sentence for Özkan for the crime of "obstructing, disrupting, destroying, or altering data in the system."

"WE OBTAINED DOCUMENTS, WE PAID COMMISSIONS"

Correspondence between the organization members revealed the chain of fake document procurement. According to statements in the indictment, defendant Oğuz Deniz declared that after meeting Kadiroğlu, certificates were issued on behalf of his friends and payments were made in exchange for the documents. The defendants made payments to the IBAN number provided by Kadiroğlu to obtain the documents.

Some of the organization members paid between 30,000 and 50,000 TL to obtain documents. Özge Baydemir, as Kadiroğlu's girlfriend, stated that she was the person who personally sold SRC certificates and various professional certifications.

Correspondence such as "Let's take it out of the company, let's go to the market" revealed that organization members determined prices by bargaining to obtain documents. These individuals made payments and received commissions by reaching agreements with Kadiroğlu and intermediaries for the procurement of documents.

OPERATION ALSO TARGETS E-SIGNATURE COMPANY

The indictment determined that Halil Erkoç, an official at the e-signature service provider company in Adana, was also linked to the organization members. It was revealed that Erkoç approved the production of 16 e-signatures using fake identities and facilitated the organization's activities. It was reported that Erkoç assisted in the production of forged documents and carried out these transactions by paying for them from his own account.

137 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT REQUESTED

In the indictment prepared by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, prison sentences ranging from 4 to 136 years are being sought for a total of 123 defendants, including Ziya Kadiroğlu and organization members, for the crimes of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes," "forgery of official documents," "violation of the Law on Measurement, Selection and Placement Center Services," and "violation of the Electronic Signature Law."

News Source: 12punto