Turkey's 12th Judicial Reform Package Becomes Law: What Does Law No. 7589 Introduce?

Turkey's 12th Judicial Package was approved by the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly (TBMM) and became law. Under the new law, sentence reductions were introduced for so-called "IBAN victims," the deferred announcement of verdict (HAGB) mechanism was revised, heirs were granted priority in the first round of auctions for inherited immovable property, and a three-month time limit was set between hearings. The claim for an unspecified amount ("belirsiz alacak davası") was abolished. The Law does not include any amnesty or sentence-enforcement provisions; it will also enter into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette.

Officially titled the Law on Amendments to Certain Laws for the Effective and Efficient Functioning of the Judiciary and popularly known in Turkey as the "12th Judicial Package," the law was adopted by the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) on July 16, 2026. Law No. 7589 amends thirteen laws — ranging from the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law and the Code of Civil Procedure to the Turkish Criminal Code and the Administrative Procedure Law — across 27 articles. The Law will enter into force following the President's approval and publication in the Official Gazette.

Some of the amendments stem from Constitutional Court annulment decisions issued over the past two years. The text also changed during the legislative process: a provision on so-called "IBAN victims," absent from the original bill, was added at the committee stage, while several provisions included in the bill did not make it into the enacted law. The Law's main provisions are summarized below.

1. Fifty-Percent Sentence Reduction for So-Called "IBAN Victims"

Under the new paragraph added to Article 158 of the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK), the sentence will be reduced by half for persons whose participation in fraud or aggravated fraud is limited to providing another person — for the purpose of securing an unjust benefit for themselves or another — with their own or another's payment instruments, such as bank or credit cards, or the information and tools enabling use of an account held with a bank, brokerage firm, payment service provider, or crypto-asset service provider. Those who plan or organize the offense, or who obtain the principal benefit from it, are not eligible for this reduction.

Transitional provisions: For defendants whose files are pending appeal before a regional court of appeal, the regional court will issue a reversal decision and the file will be returned to the first-instance court; files pending before the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office of the Court of Cassation will likewise be forwarded to the first-instance courts in accordance with the procedure applicable to their current stage. Convicted persons already at the enforcement stage may benefit from the reduction under the second paragraph of Article 168 of the TCK — up to half of the sentence — provided that active repentance has not previously been applied to them and that they fully compensate the victim's loss within six months of being formally notified by the court. This reduction does not apply automatically; it is conditional on full compensation of the loss.

2. Deferral of the Announcement of the Verdict (HAGB) Revised

Paragraphs five through fourteen of Article 231 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) have been rewritten. Decisions on the deferral of the announcement of the verdict (HAGB) may now be challenged through an appeal to the regional court of appeal rather than an objection, and the appellate review will cover both procedural and substantive issues, subject to the exceptions preserved under the third paragraph of Article 272. Where a defendant fails to fulfil the obligations imposed during the supervision period, the court may, when announcing the verdict, decide not to enforce up to half of the sentence, to suspend it, or to convert it into an alternative sanction. HAGB will no longer be available for offenses of torture and ill-treatment, or for offenses committed by public officials in connection with their duties that qualify as ill-treatment under Article 17 of the Constitution. HAGB decisions will be recorded in a dedicated system; these records may be accessed only by a public prosecutor, judge, or court, and only in connection with an ongoing investigation or prosecution.

3. First-Round Auction Limited to Heirs in the Termination of Co-Ownership of Real Property Acquired Through Inheritance

Under the amendment to Article 114 of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law (İİK), where a court orders the termination of co-ownership through the sale of real property that all co-owners acquired by inheritance and in which no third party holds a proprietary interest, the first round of auction — also to be conducted through the electronic sales portal — will be open only to the co-owner heirs; the minimum bid at this round is 100% of the appraised value. If no buyer emerges among the heirs, the second round will be open to the public under the general rules. Because the previous exemption from the deposit requirement for co-owners bidding in proportion to their share has been abolished, heirs taking part in the first round must now also pay a deposit. In the second round, the minimum bid is set by comparing 50% of the appraised value with the total of any liens with priority over the claim, and taking whichever figure is higher, plus the costs of conversion into cash and distribution. In both rounds, a successful bidder — whether an heir or not — who fails to pay the winning bid within the deadline will be subject to an administrative fine equal to 5% of the bid amount. The amendment does not apply to auctions already announced before its entry into force.

4. Three-Month Limit Between Hearings and Remote Hearings

Under the new paragraph added to Article 147 of the Code of Civil Procedure (HMK), the interval between hearings in cases subject to the written procedure may not, as a general rule, exceed three months; in cases requiring a longer expert examination or the use of letters rogatory, the judge may set a later date, stating reasons. In addition, except where a party appearing remotely by audio-visual transmission makes an admission, takes an oath, consents to withdrawal of the case, waives the claim, accepts the claim, or reaches a settlement, the rules requiring a handwritten signature will not apply to that party. This provision will enter into force three months after the Law's publication.

5. Claim for an Unspecified Amount Abolished, Partial Claims Strengthened

Article 107 of the HMK, which governed the claim for an unspecified amount (belirsiz alacak davası), has been repealed. The benefits it offered have been transferred to the partial claim (kısmi dava): under the new paragraph added to Article 109 of the HMK, where only part of a claim is brought, the claimant may — without this being treated as an impermissible amendment of the claim, and without needing to formally amend the pleadings — increase the claim once, at any time before the close of the evidentiary phase; the limitation period is deemed interrupted for the increased portion as of the date the action was filed. Claims for an unspecified amount already filed before this repeal will continue to be governed by the previous rules.

6. Interest Start Date in Compensation for Bodily Harm

Under the new paragraphs added to Article 55 of the Turkish Code of Obligations (TBK), the starting date for statutory interest on compensation for loss of earning capacity and loss of support has been split in two: for the portion of the award calculated on the basis of a period in which the claimant's income is known, interest runs from the date of the event; for the portion calculated on the basis of a period in which the income is not known, interest runs from the date of the judgment. Payments made for performance purposes before the fact-finding phase begins will be deducted proportionally from the compensation, based on the date of payment. The new regime applies only to events occurring after its entry into force; pending cases and prior events remain subject to the previous rules.

7. Statutory Interest Rate Indexed to the Rediscount Rate

Article 1 of Law No. 3095 on Statutory and Default Interest has been redrafted. Where a contract does not fix the interest rate, statutory interest will now be calculated at 80% of the annual rediscount rate applied by the Central Bank to short-term credit transactions as of December 31 of the preceding year. If the rediscount rate in effect on June 30 differs from that of December 31 of the preceding year by five points or more, 80% of the rate set on June 30 will apply for the second half of the year.

8. Single-Judge Panels, Appeal, and Cassation in Administrative Courts

The scope of cases to be heard by a single judge in administrative and tax courts has been expanded to include: annulment and full-remedy actions concerning matters not exceeding TRY 486,000 (in administrative courts) and tax cases not exceeding the same amount (in tax courts); disciplinary penalties against students other than expulsion or dismissal, together with actions concerning grade promotion, grade determination, dormitory, scholarship, and grant matters; actions concerning temporary assignment, travel allowance, official housing, and leave matters for civil servants, as well as reprimand penalties; and disciplinary penalties — other than those temporarily or permanently barring a person from practicing their profession — imposed by professional bodies with public-institution status on their members.

On appeal, the regional administrative court will dismiss the appeal where it finds the decision lawful, where the decision's outcome is lawful but the stated reasoning is incorrect or incomplete — by amending the reasoning — or where a material error in the decision can be corrected — by making the necessary correction. Setting aside the decision and remanding the file to the first-instance court is permitted only in the specific circumstances exhaustively listed by law, such as the case having been heard by a court lacking jurisdiction or venue, a decision on the merits having been rendered where the petition should instead have been rejected, or a decision having been rendered without a site inspection, expert examination, or hearing that was required; the decision may not be set aside on any other ground. Where the deficiency concerns a missing site inspection, expert examination, or hearing, however, the regional administrative court may cure the deficiency itself rather than remanding the file.

The existing provision that separately allowed cassation review of tax cases, full-remedy actions, and administrative acts valued between TRY 270,000 and TRY 920,000, where the regional court had reversed and re-decided the case on appeal, has been repealed. In its place, a general rule now applies, adopted pursuant to a Constitutional Court decision: decisions in which the regional administrative court sets aside a first-instance decision and rules anew on the merits may be appealed in cassation to the Council of State (Danıştay) within thirty days of notification; cases heard by a single judge and certain other categories are excluded from this rule. Under an amendment adopted by the General Assembly, cassation is also unavailable where the case was heard by a panel and the difference between the amount awarded by the regional administrative court on re-decision and the amount awarded by the first-instance court does not exceed TRY 55,000 for 2026.

9. Extension of the Deadline for Reducing the Number of Council of State Chambers

Under the amendment to the provisional Article 27 of Law No. 2575 on the Council of State, the deadline for reducing the number of Council of State (Danıştay) chambers to ten — originally set to expire on July 23, 2026 — has been extended by four years, to July 23, 2030. For as long as the number of chambers is not being reduced during this period, the rule under which only one member is elected for every two vacant seats has also been suspended; until that date, a separate election will be held for each vacant seat.

10. Retention and Destruction Periods for Genetic Data

The second paragraph of Article 80 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) has been amended, and new paragraphs have been added to the same article. The results of molecular genetic examinations will be stripped of identifying information and recorded in a dedicated system. The data will be destroyed immediately once a decision of no grounds for prosecution, an acquittal, or a decision of no grounds for punishment becomes final; in other cases, it will be destroyed, in the presence of a public prosecutor, once twenty years have passed since the relevant court judgment became final. The data subject may request deletion before this period expires if the purpose for retaining the data has ceased to exist. Data recorded in the system may be used, on the order of a court, judge, or public prosecutor, only in connection with an ongoing investigation or prosecution and for the purpose of establishing the material truth; a decision by a court or judge may be challenged by objection, and a public prosecutor's decision may be challenged before the relevant magistrates' court (sulh ceza hâkimliği).

11. Amendment to the Notaries Public Law

Article 55 of Law No. 1512 on Notaries Public has been amended. Notarial documents and registers may now be examined by courts, magistrates' courts, and public prosecutors' offices, by government offices, or — provided the subject matter is specified — by persons authorized to conduct an investigation at the notary's office. Where a court, magistrates' court, or public prosecutor's office requests the original of a document, the notary will prepare a certified copy, retain that copy in place of the original, and forward the original to the requesting authority. Where a certified copy is requested by a court, magistrates' court, public prosecutor's office, or a government office authorized to investigate, the notary will scan the original electronically, sign the resulting certified copy with a secure electronic signature, and transmit it electronically; where electronic transmission is not possible, a certified physical copy will be sent instead. No registry fee will be charged for these transactions, and — apart from postal and travel expenses — no duty, tax, or stamp fee will be levied.

12. Amendment on the Trial of Fugitive Defendants

The third paragraph of Article 247 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) has been amended. A prosecution may proceed against a fugitive defendant, but a conviction or a decision of no grounds for punishment may not be rendered if the defendant has not previously been examined. Where a preventive measure is ordered, a fugitive defendant or defense counsel may request a retrial by stating an intention to exercise the right of defense.

13. Objection Power of the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation

The first paragraph of Article 308 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CMK) has been amended, and a new paragraph has been added. The period within which the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation may object to the General Criminal Board has been extended from thirty days to three months, and will now run from the date the file is delivered to the Prosecutor's Office. The scope of the objection has also been broadened to cover all decisions of the Court of Cassation's criminal chambers, except decisions on lack of jurisdiction and on the determination of venue; no time limit applies to objections made in the defendant's favor. A request for an objection may be made by the defendant, by persons entitled to pursue legal remedies on the defendant's behalf, or by an intervening party — including one whose application to intervene has not yet been decided, or a person who has suffered harm from the offense and could qualify as an intervening party.

14. Sale of Property Belonging to Persons Under Guardianship

Under the amendments to Articles 440 and 444 of the Turkish Civil Code, the sale of movable and immovable property belonging to a person under guardianship will now be conducted through the electronic sales portal integrated into the National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP). For immovable property, the sale will be by public auction, the tender will be completed upon approval by the guardianship authority, and that approval decision must be issued within ten days of the auction date. These provisions will enter into force three months after the Law's publication; auctions already announced before that date will remain subject to the previous rules.

15. Disciplinary Sanction for Unnecessary Appointment of Experts

Under a new subparagraph added to Article 63 of Law No. 2802 on Judges and Prosecutors, a judge or prosecutor who refers a matter to a court-appointed expert (bilirkişi) where the matter could be resolved with the legal knowledge the profession requires will now be subject to disciplinary sanction. The prescribed sanction is a formal warning (uyarma).

16. Training and Examination Procedure for Junior Judges and Prosecutors

Under the new paragraphs added to Article 10 of Law No. 2802 on Judges and Prosecutors, the scope of training and the examination procedures during the period of service as a junior judge or prosecutor have been placed on a statutory footing. Candidates will receive training in constitutional and human rights law, criminal law, private law, administrative law, tax law, and procedural law, as well as in hearing management, drafting reasoned judgments, the administration and oversight of judicial services, international organizations and treaties, frequently encountered case types, and personal development. The written examination will be based on the subjects covered in training and graded out of 100 points; the oral examination will separately score command of legislation and case law, professional competence, self-confidence and representational ability, effective use of the Turkish language, and general knowledge and aptitude.

17. Appointment Requirements for the Forensic Medicine Specialization Board

Under the redrafting of the repealed Article 26 of Law No. 2659, appointment as chair or member of the Forensic Medicine Institute's Specialization Board now requires, at minimum, a specialist certificate in medicine or dentistry, or a doctoral degree in the relevant field; the term of office for the chair, members, group chairs, and specialization department chairs has been set at four years. Under the transitional provision, chairs, members, group chairs, and department chairs who, as of the Law's entry into force, have already served four years or more will leave office, while those who have served less than four years will complete their remaining term. Those whose term ends under this provision will continue to serve until a successor is appointed or assigned.

18. Provisions Included in the Bill but Not Enacted

A comparison of the original bill with the enacted text shows that two provisions were removed from the text through amendments adopted by the General Assembly: the proposed requirement to apply to the relevant government agency before enforcement (idareye başvuru zorunluluğu) — under which a creditor seeking to enforce a judgment awarding a sum of money, attorney's fees, or litigation costs against a government agency would first have had to apply to the agency and allow it one month to pay — intended for insertion into the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law; and the proposed amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure governing the search of, and seizure of data from, computers (CMK Article 134). As a result of the removal of these two provisions, enforcement proceedings against government agencies based on a judgment will continue under the existing procedure, without any prior-application requirement; the gap concerning the retention and destruction periods for computer data has not been addressed by this Law.

In addition, a proposed amendment to Article 371 of the Code of Civil Procedure (HMK) — under which the Court of Cassation would have been barred from reversing a first-instance decision solely on grounds of lack of subject-matter or territorial jurisdiction — was removed from the bill during deliberations at the TBMM Justice Committee, prior to the General Assembly stage, and accordingly does not appear in the enacted law either.

It should also be clarified that some news reports have stated that "the provision on HAGB was removed"; this is incorrect. The amendment to Article 231 of the CMK governing HAGB (Article 16 of the bill) was enacted unchanged as Article 15 of the Law.

Finally, it should be noted that the Law does not include any amnesty or sentence-enforcement provisions; Law No. 5275 on the Enforcement of Sentences and Security Measures was not amended.

Entry Into Force

The Law's provisions enter into force on three different dates. The provision on the number of Council of State chambers enters into force on the date of publication in the Official Gazette, but is deemed retroactively effective as of July 23, 2026. The three provisions on the electronic sale of property belonging to persons under guardianship (Civil Code Articles 440 and 444) and on the exemption from the signature requirement in remote hearings (HMK Article 149) will enter into force three months after publication. All other provisions of the Law enter into force on the date of publication in the Official Gazette.