Bureaucrat who exposed robbery to stand trial
Tayhan Şimşek, a former official at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism who documented state corruption, is now facing prosecution. He is accused of committing a crime by requesting asset declarations while exposing the sudden enrichment of a department head.
A lawsuit has been filed against Tayhan Şimşek, who exposed numerous cases of corruption while serving as general manager of Turaş Turizm ve Ticaret A.Ş., a company established by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to operate beaches and treatment plants in holiday resorts.
Appointed in August 2022 as the General Manager of Turaş Tourism and Trade Inc., which operates under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Şimşek went on to expose various cases of corruption at the beaches and treatment plants and compiled a comprehensive report.
Şimşek documented how state funds were stolen and how the state was being looted, backing up his claims with evidence. He submitted the report to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However, following this, Şimşek came under pressure and was only able to remain in post for five months. Under pressure, he resigned on 24 December 2022.
A DIRECTOR’S SUDDEN WEALTH
Among the many irregularities included in Şimşek’s report was the sudden accumulation of wealth by a facility director. Şimşek stated in the report that he requested asset declarations from staff and managers and wrote:
“The manager of the Boğazkent Wastewater Treatment Plant in Serik, Antalya, experienced sudden wealth between May 2022 and August 2022. During the aforementioned four-month period, the director of the treatment plant purchased three separate plots of land, one in Muğla Dalaman and two in Antalya Serik, with a total value of approximately 2.7 million TL. The director of the treatment plant was unable to provide a reasonable explanation for this sudden increase in wealth."
THE JUSTIFICATION: YOU REQUESTED AN ASSET DECLARATION
Despite not commenting on the fate of the incidents detailed in Şimşek’s report, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office against him. In the complaint, the Ministry argued that Şimşek had committed a crime by requesting “asset declarations” from some personnel.
On 23 June 2025, an indictment was issued against Şimşek on charges of “unlawfully obtaining or disseminating personal data” and “unlawfully recording personal data.” The indictment claims Şimşek acted independently when requesting asset declarations from company personnel and managers.
Twelve Turaş employees are listed as victims in the case, and three as complainants. The first hearing will take place on 19 February 2026 at Ankara 84th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Soygunu ortaya çıkaran bürokrat yargılanacak, published in BirGün newspaper on July 23, 2025.
