Turkey Ministry of Trade issues 2.6 billion TL in fines during 2026 audits

The Turkish Ministry of Trade has announced the results of its market inspections for the first nine months of 2026. During this period, authorities inspected 360,578 companies and approximately 44 million products, resulting in a total of 2.6 billion TL in administrative fines.

Key enforcement areas included:

- Internal Trade: 724.7 million TL in fines were issued for issues such as price gouging (399.5 million TL), automotive sector violations (145.1 million TL), real estate (45.6 million TL), and jewelry (13.7 million TL). - Consumer Protection: 984 million TL in fines were levied for contract violations (735.3 million TL), unfair advertising (232.1 million TL), and product safety issues. - Regional Audits: Inspections across 81 provinces resulted in 917.6 million TL in penalties.

Additionally, Minister Ömer Bolat highlighted specific efforts to combat price discrepancies in the fruit and vegetable sector. Using the Hal Kayıt Sistemi (HKS), authorities identified unfair price hikes between producer and consumer levels, issuing 215.1 million TL in fines to offending businesses.

In a separate regulatory action, the Competition Authority issued 20.5 billion TL in fines during the first nine months of 2026, targeting sectors including information technology, automotive, and food.