GDO-linked Corn Case Postponed to April 2026: 17 Defendants are Being Tried

New Developments in the GMO Corn Case

The hearing of the GMO corn case ongoing in Tekirdağ has been postponed to April 2026 amidst significant allegations. In the case where 17 defendants are being tried, accusations of importing genetically modified products with fraudulent analysis reports sourced from Ukraine and Russia are prominent.

Attendance at the Hearing and Allegations

In the hearing held at the Tekirdağ 1st Heavy Penal Court, 17 defendants, including civil servants, customs consultants, and businesspeople, attended along with their lawyers. The defendants argued that they did not commit any irregularities during the importation of the products. In particular, a defendant identified as E.A. stated that his transactions were carried out with documents obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture and that all customs procedures were in compliance with the regulations.

Objections to Expert Report

Another defendant, Ö.Ç., emphasized in his statements that he did not have the authority to make changes to the documents as a customs consultant. Some defendants and their lawyers requested an additional report to correct the deficiencies in the expert report.

Prison Sentence Demands

The allegations against the defendants are quite serious, with charges including "Forgery in official documents", "Violation of the Biosafety Law", and "Violation of import bans". The penalty for these crimes includes imprisonment ranging from 5 to 20 years.

Past Investigations

Following an investigation initiated by the Tekirdağ Public Prosecutor's Office in May last year, 17 individuals who brought GMO products into Turkey with counterfeit documents were taken into custody but were released under judicial control conditions.