Turkey: Compliance

The Turkish Constitutional Court has ruled that the Personal Data Protection Board violated the principle of legality by imposing an administrative fine on an insurance company without proper legal basis for its interpretation of 'disclosure purpose.' This landmark decision requires companies processing data from public sources to reassess their timelines, inventories, and ongoing investigation files under Article 5 of the Personal Data Protection Law.

The Turkish Constitutional Court has ruled that imposing administrative fines under the Personal Data Protection Law based on concepts not explicitly defined in the statute violates constitutional principles of legality.

Turkish competition enforcement is evolving beyond traditional administrative penalties to include criminal investigations, executive detention risks, and court-appointed oversight.

The European Union's Anti-Corruption Directive 2026/1021 is reshaping corporate compliance landscapes by introducing stringent criminal law standards across member states, targeting bribery, embezzlement, influence peddling, and illicit enrichment. Companies now face unprecedented financial penalties calculated on global turnover, expanded corporate liability frameworks, and heightened expectations for robust compliance programs. Turkish companies with EU connections must urgently reassess their anti-corrup

Multinational enterprises expanding into foreign jurisdictions face catastrophic risks from internal fraud and embezzlement by regional executives or local partners. When standard commercial dispute resolution proves insufficient, Turkish Criminal Law provides aggressive mechanisms to freeze illicit accounts, trace hidden transactions, and compel personal financial restitution.

Turkey's Constitutional Court examines whether administrative fines imposed for using personal data found on public websites violate the principle of legality in criminal law.

Cybersecurity Law No. 7545, which introduces comprehensive and far-reaching rules governing cybersecurity in Türkiye, was enacted on 12 March 2025.

Turkey's Personal Data Protection Board has issued a landmark decision prohibiting the use of biometric data systems for employee attendance tracking, citing violations of proportionality and necessity principles. The ruling establishes that even with explicit consent, biometric methods like fingerprint or facial recognition exceed what is legally permissible for simple timekeeping purposes, requiring employers to adopt less intrusive alternatives.

In mergers and acquisitions involving companies that hold mining licences in Turkey, obtaining clearance from MAPEG (Mining and Petroleum Affairs General Directorate) is a mandatory regulatory requirement that can significantly impact transaction timelines and structure.