Back Türkiye: High-level GRECO delegation calls for swift action on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in the parliament and judiciary

© Photo source : Office of the Government of Türkiye

© Photo source : Office of the Government of Türkiye

In meetings in Ankara on 18 June, a high-level delegation from the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) called on Türkiye to fully implement GRECO’s recommendations on preventing corruption and strengthening integrity among members of parliament, the judiciary and the prosecution service.

The visit was an opportunity to discuss the legislative and policy changes recommended by GRECO and followed GRECO’s decision in June 2023 that Türkiye had not demonstrated sufficient progress in implementing recommendations addressed to the country under GRECO’s Fourth Evaluation Round.

The delegation met with Yılmaz Tunç, Minister of Justice; Hurşit Yildirim, Deputy Minister of Justice;  Adem Albayrak, First Vice President of the Court of Cassation; Turan Kuloğlu, President of the First Chamber of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors; Seyfi Han, member of the Second Chamber of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors; Bekir Bozdağ, Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly; as well as other senior officials, including Ahmet Ulutaş, Head of the Delegation of Türkiye to GRECO.

The GRECO delegation noted the information provided during the visit, welcomed the commitment expressed at the highest level regarding implementation of GRECO’s recommendations and underlined that it looks forward to swift action by Türkiye in this regard.

More than nine years after the adoption of GRECO’s Fourth Round Evaluation Report on Türkiye, only three out of 22 recommendations contained in the report have been implemented in full.

With regard to members of the Grand National Assembly, the delegation expressed concern that none of GRECO’s seven recommendations concerning members of parliament have been implemented fully. While some steps had been initiated shortly after the adoption of the evaluation report, no substantive information has been provided since 2018 on any measures taken or foreseen to further implement the recommendations. GRECO therefore urged the Grand National Assembly to take prompt and determined action to strengthen parliamentary integrity, focusing on transparency of the legislative process, adopting a code of conduct, managing conflicts of interest, verifying asset declarations, narrowing parliamentary immunity, and ensuring confidential counselling and training on integrity matters.

Regarding the judiciary and prosecution service, the delegation noted a number of positive developments, including the adoption of a Declaration on Judicial Ethics, training of judges and prosecutors, the introduction of a judicial oath to adhere to principles of independence and impartiality and of confidential counselling on integrity matters, of the possibility to appeal disciplinary dismissal decisions, as well as the adoption of the new Law on the Justice Academy, in force as of 27 February 2025. Plans for a guide on judicial ethics were also noted.

The GRECO delegation emphasised the importance of making tangible progress in implementing the outstanding recommendations, given their implications for several key aspects of judicial governance,  such as strengthening the independence of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, ensuring security of tenure for judicial office-holders, abolishing certain powers of the Ministry of Justice as regards selecting and recruiting future judges and prosecutors, temporary assignments, and disciplinary proceedings, as well as lifting their functional immunity.

GRECO will next review the measures taken by the Turkish authorities to implement its Fourth Round recommendations and their effectiveness in March 2026.

The delegation was comprised of GRECO’s President, David Meyer, the Council of Europe’s Director of Security, Integrity and Rule of Law, Hanne Juncher, GRECO Vice-President and Head of Portugal’s Delegation to GRECO, António Delicado, and Head of Azerbaijan’s Delegation to GRECO, Elnur Musayev, as well as GRECO Executive Secretary Livia Stoica Becht and David Dolidze, Senior Legal Adviser in the GRECO Secretariat.

Strasbourg 19/06/2025
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Ever since antiquity, corruption has been one of the most widespread and insidious of social evils. When it involves public officials and elected representatives, it is inimical to the administration of public affairs. Since the end of the 19th century, it has also been seen as a major threat in the private sphere, undermining the trust and confidence which are necessary for the maintenance and development of sustainable economic and social relations. It is estimated that hundreds of billions of Euros are paid in bribes every year. (more)

A word from the President of GRECO

Welcome to this window on GRECO’s world! 
I invite you to use it to look into the work we do with our 48 member States.  We use the dynamics of collective expertise and peer pressure to accomplish action by individual governments that will build durable barriers against corruption and bring to justice those who misuse their position for personal gain to the detriment of society as a whole.

Whether inspired by GRECO’s work, that of others with an anti-corruption agenda or our own experiences and principles, each one of us has a role to play in changing the mind-set to zero tolerance of corruption.

Members of GRECO Bureau

The composition of GRECO's Bureau is the following: Olivier GONIN (Switzerland), Panagiota VATIKALOU (Greece), Vice-President António DELICADO (Portugal), President David MEYER (United Kingdom), Lise CHIPAULT (France), Sorin TĂNASE (Romania) and Alexia KALISPERA (Cyprus).

 BEWARE OF SCAMS

It has been brought to our attention that the name of GRECO is being used for fraudulent purposes. These scams may appear to use letterhead with the GRECO logo, or contain the signatures of actual or fictitious senior GRECO officials, aiming to give the appearance of a legitimate GRECO correspondence.  Sometimes they may include legitimate website addresses to give a veneer of credibility to the scam.

Typically, the solicitations asked potential victims to provide personal information such as signatures or bank account information, and to pay certain advance fees, often described as "processing fees." In return, the potential victim was promised sums of money that the person soliciting the "fees" had no intention of paying. In some cases, those seeking the funds used the names of actual GRECO staff members to sign the letters in order to bolster their credibility.

GRECO, the Council of Europe's anti-corruption body, monitors the way in which its member countries implement the Council of Europe conventions and other instruments at national level. GRECO does not contact members of the public directly by email, telephone, Whatsapp or any other means about specific financial transactions or personal information.

We caution the public to be very wary of these and other similar solicitations that falsely claim to be affiliated with the GRECO. If you have received such a communication, we advise you to immediately terminate that contact.  If you have already paid them money, please contact your local law enforcement without delay.