15 arrested in Turkey’s exam fraud case

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Some 15 suspects of 23 detained have been arrested as part of an investigation into alleged fraud in a 2010 nationwide civil service recruitment exam. The remaining eight suspects have been released on probation.

The Ankara 2nd Criminal Court of Peace ordered the arrest of the 15 suspects for allegedly leaking the questions of the Public Personnel Selection Exam (KPSS) in an “organized manner.”

The court ordered the pre-trial release of the eight other suspects, including three women, under judicial control.

The 23 suspects face charges of “being a member of an organization formed to commit crimes,” “fraud at the expense of public institutions and establishments,” and “forgery,” by Ankara prosecutor Yücel Erkman.

On June 15, police launched an operation in Ankara and Istanbul after the Ankara prosecutor’s office ordered the detention of the 23 suspects.

A first wave of arrests had come in late March across 14 provinces including Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir, resulting in the detention of 62 suspects, 30 of whom were later released.

Police investigating the fraud have allegedly found evidence of involvement by members of the “parallel state,” a term used by the government to refer to followers of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, who they accuse of attempting to undermine the state.