Forest Department Fake Shift Scandal: Former Director and Two Employees Released on Bail

Police officer Burçin Korgan presented the facts in court, stating that a letter from the General Directorate of Police indicated that during audits conducted by the Ministry of Finance, the Inspection and Review Board in the Forest Department, it was discovered that personnel who were not on duty were still receiving shift allowances, prompting an investigation.

Korgan explained that as part of the investigation, it was found that İ.K. and A.B., who were working as accounting clerks in the Forest Department, had forged electronic signatures on shift allocation declarations not in their names. Despite not working shifts, they falsely represented themselves as doing so, adding their names to the documents submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

The police reported that between January and March 2024, İ.K. fraudulently obtained a total of 23,254.89 TL, while A.B. acquired 19,737.33 TL through deception. It was noted that the fraudulent documents were authorized by the former director S.G., who misused his position to facilitate İ.K. and A.B. in obtaining unjust profits.

In court, it was revealed that the former director held the title of First Degree Engineer and served as the director of the Forest Department from August 12, 2022, to March 20, 2024. A.B. started working in the department on April 4, 2019, in a semi-skilled labor capacity and was later assigned to the accounting section. İ.K. has been working in the accounting department since January 2, 2020, as a Fourth Degree Writing Assistant.

The police stated that the suspects were presented to the court based on a preliminary report prepared by the Ministry of Finance, the Inspection, and Review Board, which is still conducting retrospective investigations. The police have collected handwriting and signature samples from the suspects, and investigations are ongoing.

Police officer Korgan noted that the part of the investigation that the suspects could influence has been completed and requested bail.

Judge Nuray Necdet evaluated the testimony and ordered that the suspects be prohibited from leaving the country until their trial. They were required to deposit 50,000 TL in cash for bail, provide two guarantors each for a bond worth 700,000 TL, and report to the nearest police station once a week while awaiting trial.