New developments have emerged in a comprehensive investigation into the long-standing congestion in visa appointments and the intermediary system in Türkiye.
Coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, simultaneous operations were carried out in Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Balıkesir, Bursa and İzmir.
Of the 49 suspects investigated as part of the case, 42 were apprehended during the operations.
After police and judicial proceedings, 37 of the suspects referred to court were ordered detained. The remaining suspects were released or placed under judicial control.
Allegation: Visa appointments were acquired in bulk using bot software
The investigation focuses on the use of online appointment systems operated by consulates and authorized intermediary institutions that accept visa applications.
Prosecutors allege that some individuals and companies operated under the name of “visa consultancy” and accessed appointment systems through automated software known as “bots.”
The suspects allegedly used the software to automatically secure large numbers of appointments in bulk, systematically making it more difficult for citizens to find available appointments through the system themselves.
They allegedly then promised citizens that visas or appointments would be secured within a specified period and collected money under labels such as “consultancy,” “software” or “service fees.”
Alleged failure to refund fees when services were not provided
The investigation is examining not only the use of bots but also the fees collected from citizens.
The suspects allegedly guaranteed that an appointment or visa would be obtained within a specified period but were unable to provide the promised service in some cases.
The case file also includes allegations that the fees collected were not refunded to citizens.
The investigation is also examining the alleged transfer of some personal data belonging to visa applicants to automated software.
Financial movements exceeding 2.8 billion liras under scrutiny
One of the most notable aspects of the investigation is the financial activity identified in accounts linked to the suspects.
Financial reviews conducted as part of the investigation identified money movements exceeding 2.8 billion liras.
Authorities have not announced that a final court ruling has established all of this money as criminal proceeds. The figure therefore represents the scale of the financial movements examined as part of the investigation.
According to the allegation, proceeds from the activities are believed to have been transferred through accounts belonging to different individuals and companies.
Visa appointment problems have been on the agenda for years
Finding an available visa appointment has become one of the biggest problems faced in recent years by Turkish citizens seeking to travel, particularly to Schengen countries.
Complaints that appointments quickly ran out and that some consultancy companies could provide them for high fees had been widely debated for a long time.
Allegations of irregularities in visa appointments had previously been brought before the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.
In June, investigations were also opened into some visa consultancy companies.
37 suspects sent to prison
Following the latest operation, 37 suspects brought before the Criminal Judgeship of Peace were ordered detained.
The detained suspects were identified as:
Aleyna Darcan, Ayşen Ellialtıoğlu, Bünyamin Çalışkan, Harun Durgut, Kadir Yazıcı, Hamide Yanmaz, Selin Yıldız, Seçkin Durgut, Sena Durgut, Süleyman Karanlık, Yusuf Furkan Gürel, Ömer Salih Atan, Ayşe Gündüz, Berkay Vargüz, Cihat Karakuş, Çınar Karakuş, Emre Can Malgaz, Fadime Nur Kara, Fatih Bekmezci, Feyda Tangüner, Tuğba Uslu, Özgür Önal, Pınar Demir, Sinem Şule Harçın, Tuğba Aksoy, Tunahan Coşgun, Tunahan Kerim Yüksel, Tunahan Akçay, Sezgin Akçanak, Kerim Ekizoğlu, Merve Akın, Mehmet Akın, Kıymet İlayda Toprak, Melis Özalp, Kamil Ergin, Fikret Karakuş and Günsel Karakuş.
The investigation continues to examine the software used by the suspects, their company links, bank accounts and money transfers.
The charges against the suspects will be established during the ongoing investigation and trial process.
