Down the Bureaucratic Rabbit Hole

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 19 August 2018)


                                   Sigh...

Mehmet Çetinkaya lives in Kahramanmaraş.  In 2013 he went to
the local tax office to check on his tax situation and learned, to
his great surprise, that he had been fined 508 TL for a traffic
violation in 2004.  However, Çetinkaya has never had a drivers
license or a car and the fine was assessed in Istanbul, where
Çetinkaya has never set foot. (!)

Nevertheless, Çetinkaya has not been able to settle the matter
in the 5 years since he first learned of the fine: "I found out
about the fine when I went to the tax office. I looked at the
summons and it was for a 2012- model light truck with a 34
(Istanbul) plate, yet the fine is dated 2004 (!).  I don't have a
license or a car so I want the fine canceled.  Or I'll pay the
fine but then give me the car."



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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 19 August 2018)


                        And yet another sigh...

Muhammed Seyyid Kaya (35), who lives in Istanbul, had his wallet
stolen in a clothing store 5 months ago.  He recently went to his
hometown of Sivas and while at the dentist there he learned that
he had been 'arrested'.  It turned out that whoever stole Kaya's
wallet committed a robbery and was sent to jail in Kaya's name.

Now Kaya is faced with the daunting task of clearing his name
throughout the bureaucracy.  He lamented that "my wife is ready
to give birth.  Will this be cleared up by then? Unfortunately, in
Turkey these things get resolved very slowly and even though I'm
the victim I have to prove my innocence to clear my name."