10.12.2025 23:50
The indictment prepared against 123 defendants involved in a criminal organization that forged fake documents by imitating the e-signatures of some public officials has been accepted by the Ankara 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance. In the case, prison sentences ranging from 4 years to 136 years are requested for the defendants, and the date and time of the first hearing will be determined after the preparation of the order.
Upon the detection that illegal e-signatures were used to alter many individuals' driver's license exams and to create vocational training certificates, the indictment regarding the third wave of investigations targeting those who issued fake e-signatures, including Ziya Kadiroğlu, who is alleged to be the leader of the organization, and 18 other members, was sent by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to the Ankara 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance with a request for consolidation.
INDICTMENT AGAINST 123 DEFENDANTS ACCEPTED
The Ankara 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance completed its review of the indictment, which requested prison sentences ranging from 4 years to 136 years for the defendants on charges of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "being a member of a criminal organization," "forgery in official documents," "violating the Law on Measurement, Selection and Placement Center Services," "illegally obtaining or disseminating personal data," and "violating the Electronic Signature Law." After the court accepted the indictment, the date and time of the hearing will be determined following the preparation of the procedural order.
BACKGROUND OF FAKE E-SIGNATURE INVESTIGATIONS
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation on January 7, by copying the e-signatures of managers in public institutions and producing fake e-signatures from various documents, providing unauthorized access to systems, and arranging driver's licenses, fake university and high school diplomas.
As a result of the investigation, it was determined that the defendants copied the e-signatures of the President and Vice President of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), as well as the President of the Higher Education Council (YÖK) Education and Training Department, along with the Student Affairs Department Heads or personnel of 14 universities.
The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment against 134 defendants for "violating the Law on Measurement, Selection and Placement Center Services," "forgery in official documents," "unauthorized access to a computer system," and "illegally obtaining data," requesting prison sentences ranging from 6 years to 45 years.
Additionally, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment against 65 individuals on the same charges on July 30, as part of the second wave of investigations, and sent it to the Ankara 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance. The court decided to consolidate the indictment prepared against 65 individuals for the same crime with the existing case file, thus increasing the number of defendants in the case to 199.
Moreover, during the hearing of the case at the Ankara 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance on October 10, defendants Ziya Kadiroğlu, Mıhyedin Yakışır, Yalçın Maraşlı, Gökay Celal Gülen, and Taner Dağhan were released under judicial control. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office appealed the release of the defendants, and the on-duty heavy penal court, which found the appeal justified, ruled for the defendants' arrest.
DDK INITIATED AN INVESTIGATION
The State Supervisory Council (DDK) initiated an investigation into the allegations of fake e-signatures on October 16, upon the instruction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to protect trust in the provision of public services and to effectively combat all forms of abuse and illegality.
The DDK is conducting a comprehensive review and research regarding the measures taken to ensure the security of the electronic signature process and the information systems of the relevant public institutions.