International fortune teller sentenced to prison in Turkey

ISTANBUL

AFP Photo

A woman in the southern province of Adana has been sentenced to two and half months in prison and given a fine of 375 Turkish liras, on charges of telling fortunes and sending amulets for money, the Anatolian news agency reported today.

Sevim Şola, 40, has been telling fortune for 20 liras and reversing curses for 200 liras, according to reports. Police discovered that Şola was also sending amulets by cargo to people who had reached her by phone or on the Internet from Germany, Holland and France.

Police detained the woman after catching her in the act during an operation in 2011, but then released her pending trial.

"I tell fortunes for my friends, not for money," Şola said. "I have never taken money from anyone. But, some of the people whose fortune I told might have brought presents for my child."

An Adana court sentenced Şola to prison and imposed a punitive fine at the end of the case. However, the sentence has been postponed by the court, considering that she had no previous criminal record and that she regreted what she did.