Food fraud investigation: Operation against 25 companies in 8 provinces

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek made a statement regarding the food fraud investigation.

An investigation was launched against 25 companies in 8 provinces based in Istanbul, alleging irregularities in the production and trade of starch-based sugar. While searches and documents were seized at 26 addresses, 47 suspects who were determined to be company managers were called to testify.

As a result of the inspections of the Sugar Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Tax Inspection Board of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, it was determined that some companies violated the quotas and domestic market sales restrictions specified in the Sugar Law.

During the investigations, it was determined that starch-based sugar products that should not be offered to the domestic market were put on the market. It was determined that some products were invoiced with different names such as "maltodextrin", "glucose", "starch" and "fructose" in order to hide their true nature, and that the product specified in the invoice and the product actually delivered were different.

Thereupon, a "Sugar Investigation" was launched by the Financial Crimes Branch of the Istanbul Provincial Police Department, under the coordination of the Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

47 PEOPLE WERE SUMMONED TO TESTIFY

Within the scope of the investigation, a total of 26 addresses in Istanbul, Kocaeli, Sakarya, Ankara, Konya, Izmir, Gaziantep and Adana were searched and various documents were seized. 47 suspects identified as company managers were summoned to take their statements.

The investigation is being carried out in many aspects within the scope of "trading of spoiled or altered food or medicines", tax evasion within the scope of the Tax Procedure Law, issuing or using documents misleading in terms of their content, forgery of private documents and influencing prices.

Minister Gürlek stated that legal proceedings will be continued with determination against people and companies that endanger public health, mislead consumers, cause loss of public revenues and gain illegal profits.

According to the information received, the companies included in the investigation are as follows: