Second wave of detentions in exam fraud case in Turkey

The Ankara public prosecutor’s office ordered the detention of 78 suspects in this second wave of arrests in 21 provinces including Ankara, Malatya, Isparta, Corum and Bitlis.

The suspects have been accused of involvement in cheating on the Public Personnel Selection Examination (KPSS) held in 2010.

According to unverified sources, most of the suspects had left their residencies ahead of the operation after being warned via a social media account late on April 19.

The operation continues to detain the suspects at large.

The first wave of arrests came in late March across 14 provinces including Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir, which resulted in the detention of 62 suspects; 30 were later released.

Police allegedly found involvement by members of the “parallel state,” an organization which the Turkish government accuses of penetrating key positions of responsibility across the country in order to undermine it.

The suspects of the first operation faced charges of being members of a criminal organization, document fraud, illegal and harmful activity in public institutions, destroying criminal evidence and abuse of power.