Second wave in irregular citizenship investigation: Trustees appointed to 30 companies

A second wave of operations has been conducted as part of an investigation into allegations of collusive real estate sales to foreign nationals who acquired Turkish citizenship through property acquisition. Within the scope of the investigation coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a decision was made to appoint trustees to 30 companies.

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that the investigation is ongoing into entities suspected of exploiting citizenship law and obtaining unfair gains by misleading public institutions. Gürlek stated that 72 people have been detained as part of the operation.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated in a written announcement that simultaneous operations were carried out against 88 suspects across 13 provinces, centered in Istanbul, on September 21, 2026, and that 70 suspects were apprehended and detained.

SALES CONDUCTED THROUGH THREE COMPANIES EXAMINED

In the second wave of the investigation, real estate sales conducted through Gül İnşaat AŞ, Beyaz İnşaat, and LİV İnşaat were placed under scrutiny. According to information shared by Minister Gürlek, it was determined that 274 of the sales made to 734 foreign nationals were collusive.

As a result of these transactions, it was determined that 1,070 people, including family members, had acquired Turkish citizenship through irregular means, and that the citizenship acquisition process for 11 others is still ongoing. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that an administrative process has been initiated for the cancellation of citizenships deemed to have been acquired irregularly.

The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that records from the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre, expert reports, MASAK analyses, and other documents were evaluated together. The investigations alleged that the foreign currency inflow required for citizenship was not actually provided; instead, the purchases and sales were carried out collusively by intermediary companies or using the sellers' own financial resources.

The investigation file includes allegations that transactions contrary to the Turkish Citizenship Law No. 5901 were established by issuing false, high-value appraisal reports, and that unfair gains were obtained from foreign nationals through this method. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced the amount of the collusive transactions as 72 million 250 thousand dollars.

It was reported that proceedings were initiated against the suspects for the crimes of "establishing, managing, or being a member of an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "migrant smuggling," "fraud to the detriment of public institutions and organizations," and "forgery of documents."

Within the scope of the operation, searches were conducted at 78 residential addresses and companies belonging to the suspects. While digital materials were seized during the searches, precautionary measures were applied to 2,011 real estate properties, a hotel in Istanbul's Bağcılar district, 86 motor vehicles, 2 yachts, 42 bank accounts, and 30 joint-stock companies.

In the first wave of the investigation, transactions linked to Babacan İnşaat were examined; allegations had surfaced that low-value real estate was sold using false, high-value appraisal reports. In this context, it was announced that the citizenship of 687 people was being reviewed and that a cancellation process had been initiated.

Minister Gürlek stated that legal processes will continue to uncover public losses and trace the proceeds deemed to be derived from crime, expressing that "all means of the law will be used decisively" to protect citizenship law.