Rats gnawed through evidence in criminal cases
Our detained correspondent İsmail Arı reported from prison: Ministry of Justice officials inspected the evidence storage facilities. It was determined that the facilities were not secure, that rats had gnawed through bags of drugs, that cash and ammunition were not properly recorded, and that meat and dairy products were being stored in the facility.
The Inspection Board Presidency, affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, included notable findings and warnings in its list of recommendations regarding the forensic evidence office, known as the Criminal Property Custody Bureau, which has frequently made headlines due to thefts of gold and drugs. During the investigations, it was determined that funds requiring safekeeping were not recorded in the custody officer’s cash register. It was stated that, according to Article 13 of the Criminal Evidence Regulations, the custody officer is required to record every item of money received into the cash register. It was also determined that criminal evidence, in addition to money, was not being recorded.
It was found that a shotgun, a pocket knife, a cheque and bullets located in a custody office had not been recorded in the criminal evidence registry. It was noted that, according to the Criminal Evidence Regulation, the serial number of the investigation or main ledger must be written on the label of the received item when recording it in the criminal evidence registry.
RATS HAD GNAWED AT THEM
It was also determined during inspections that, although a decision had been made to confiscate the narcotics registered in the judicial custody, their disposal had not been carried out. The findings regarding the Evidence Custody Office are as follows:
- An inspection of the criminal evidence storage facility revealed that the doors and windows were not sufficiently secure, the environment was damp due to inadequate ventilation, sufficient fire safety measures had not been taken, and a camera surveillance system had not been installed for monitoring purposes.
- It was observed that some of the bags containing narcotics registered in the judicial custody had been damaged by rats during the inspection period.
- It was determined that inventory counts and inspections to verify whether the physical inventory of items under the custody and responsibility of the Property Office matched the records were not conducted at the end of each year.
- Although the storage facility was suitable, it was reported and observed that some criminal evidence was being kept outside the facility in the open.
- It was determined that a total of 19,960 grams of gold bullion registered in the judicial custody was being stored in the warehouse.
- It was found that meat and dairy products, as well as items such as lumber, textile materials, home and office furniture, and a boat, which are difficult to store due to their nature, size, or quantity, were being kept in the custody office.
- It was found that the whereabouts of certain items sent for expert examination or other reasons at the request of a court or other official authorities had not been investigated despite the passage of time.
- It was observed that items held in custody from previous years were still being retained; however, an investigation revealed that although the case files relating to a large number of these items had been concluded long ago, no ruling on the matter had been included in the decision. Consequently, work has been initiated to dispose of the items through the drafting of a supplementary decision.
- It was noted that items required to be returned had not been handed over in the presence of the public prosecutor.
- It was established that seized contraband cigarettes, alcohol, electronic goods, and all types of vehicles and equipment were being held in custody and had not been handed over to the customs authority.
- It was established that there was no safe in the custody office and that, for this reason, valuable items were being kept in the safe of the administrative office.
- It was established that the safe of the custodial office for criminal evidence was opened and closed by a single individual.
- It was observed that certain cultural and natural assets seized as part of the investigation were kept in the custodial depot for criminal evidence rather than being handed over to the nearest museum directorate.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Adli emanetleri fareler kemirmiş, published in BirGün newspaper on April 10, 2026.
