Construction Victimization of Foreign Buyers

In the Alanya district of Antalya, nearly 100 foreign nationals — mainly from Kazakhstan, Russia, Estonia, and Ukraine — purchased properties from real estate projects owned by individuals identified as E.K. and N.K. between 2021 and 2022. However, 3–4 years later, none of these buyers have received their homes or refunds. The total financial loss is estimated to exceed 10 million euros (around 450 million Turkish Lira).

Sixteen victims, through their lawyer Ali Şan, have filed a criminal complaint with the Alanya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, accusing the developers of aggravated fraud. According to Şan, many of the properties were either left at the foundation stage or had no construction at all, yet are still being marketed and sold online through various real estate agents.

Şan emphasized that in similar cases, developers are often not even summoned for questioning, and the issues are dismissed as civil disputes. He suggested that a new system should be adopted in which buyer funds are held in an escrow account and only released to the developer upon project completion.

The victims said they had invested their last savings, hoping to start a new life in Turkey. Some moved for health reasons. They now call for justice and want the responsible parties to be held accountable.