New revelations in two high-profile criminal cases have expanded the scope of a recent forgery scandal in Turkey, exposing rampant prescription abuse and ID fraud that point to deeper cracks in the country’s digital security infrastructure.
In the first case, a criminal network used stolen e-signature devices from doctors and purchased citizens’ ID numbers to issue more than 1,300 fake prescriptions for narcotic drugs, a report by the Kısa Dalga news website said. According to an investigation launched by the Karşıyaka Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in the western province of İzmir, over 500,000 pills were prescribed this way, 300,000 of which were picked up from pharmacies across cities like Antalya, İzmir and İstanbul and sold on the black market.
Indicted suspects include six people, some of whom had extensive criminal records. One defendant who turned state’s witness described how stolen e-signatures were used in combination with purchased ID numbers to generate prescriptions, later confirmed with phone calls to nearby pharmacies to secure stock. The drugs were either picked up directly or the prescription and ID details were sold to third parties.
Testimony also revealed that certain doctors willingly issued prescriptions for cash and that suspects organized shipments via cargo or courier. Despite the large scale of the operation, some key figures were released under judicial supervision.
In the second case, civil servants at civil registration directorates allegedly sold Turkish citizens’ identity data to foreigners, enabling the issuance of fake ID cards and passports, according to a report in the BirGün daily on Wednesday. The scandal, centered in the southern province of Kilis, first triggered a criminal investigation in late 2021, when two Uzbek nationals were detained while attempting to register biometric data for Turkish IDs.
Investigations revealed that civil registration officials had overwritten fingerprint and photo data in the government’s national system without changing the original ID numbers. One Syrian woman paid $25,000 to obtain a Turkish ID using another person’s credentials. At least 22 passports and eight ID cards are believed to have been issued using this method.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, most suspects, including high-ranking officials, are being tried without pretrial detention. An interior ministry decision also blocked prosecution against Hüseyin Ayvacı, the provincial director of population and citizenship affairs in Kilis at the time.
The revelations in these two latest cases come on the heels of a recent nationwide scandal over an alleged digital forgery scheme that infiltrated Turkey’s e-government databases to create or alter academic and official documents, leading to two indictments against 199 people. The case, which has attracted intense public attention, allegedly targeted senior officials’ credentials and exposed security gaps in public institutions. No government official has taken responsibility or resigned so far.
The scandals have also reignited long-standing controversy over President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s own academic credentials.
Critics note that despite repeated assertions by Erdoğan and Marmara University that the diploma is genuine, no transcript or original document has ever been made public.
CHP youth branch slams gov’t over forged document scandals
The latest revelations, following the reports of earlier scandals involving fake diplomas used to secure government jobs, have further fueled public distrust.
On Wednesday members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) youth branch in central Eskişehir province staged a satirical protest by handing out mock diplomas in protest of the ongoing forged document scandals.
“We’re distributing university diplomas today, free of charge. No need to pay $10,000 or $50,000,” said CHP Eskişehir Youth Chair Oğuzhan Demir, referring to previous scandals.
“This government has completely shattered faith in public service. Many young people are no longer pursuing university education,” he added.