Turkish police round up export fraud gang

ISTANBUL (AA) - Anti-corruption police arrested 35 suspects in cities across Turkey on Tuesday in an investigation into export fraud, police said.

Six customs officers and treasury officials were among those arrested in simultaneous raids in Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya and Mugla.

The chief public prosecutor's office in Istanbul’s Bakirkoy district issued arrest warrants Monday against 58 people suspected of being involved in the gang.

The syndicate, which is allegedly led by four men, is said to have issued trade documents detailing the export of textile products worth 800 million Turkish liras ($272 million). In reality the goods were sold on the domestic market, evading tax, prosecutors claimed.

The fraud allegedly cost Turkey 110 million liras ($37 million) in lost revenue.

Export fraud, known as “hayali ihracat” or fictitious export, has made a comeback in recent years due to export incentives. Using fake documents to show goods imported to Turkey have been exported to a third country, fraudsters claim sales tax refunds from the government and sell the goods cheaply in Turkey.