12th Judicial Package of the Republic of Türkiye

Bill on Amendments to Certain Laws for the Effective and Efficient Administration of Justice, known in public discourse as the 12th Justice Package, is a legislative proposal.^【1】 The proposal was prepared under the framework of the 4th Justice Reform Strategy Document announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The 4th Justice Reform Strategy Document, prepared by the Ministry of Justice and made public on 23 January 2025, established as its core vision the creation of a legal system based on the supremacy of law, operating within a reasonable timeframe and providing predictable outcomes, in line with the goal of “Türkiye’s Century of Justice”.^【2】

The bill proposes amendments to 12 different laws and consists of 30 articles. The text bears the signatures of AK Party members of parliament and was finalized under the chairmanship of Group Chairman Abdullah Güler.^【3】

On 19 June 2026, AK Party members of parliament, under the chairmanship of Group Chairman Abdullah Güler, announced the completion of work on the legislative proposal known in public discourse as the 12th Justice Package.

On 22 June 2026, during a press conference held in parliament by AK Party Deputy Group Chairman Muhammet Emin Akbaşoğlu alongside Ankara MP Murat Alparslan and Istanbul MP Nurettin Alan, it was stated that the “Bill on Amendments to Certain Laws for the Effective and Efficient Administration of Justice” consists of 30 articles.

Akbaşoğlu emphasized that the effective exercise of the right to seek justice is among the most fundamental pillars of a strong state and underscored the continued commitment to reform since 2002.

The bill was submitted to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye on 22 June 2026 under file number 2/3737, through the Constitutional and Justice Main Committees.

Cüneyt Yüksel, Chairman of the Parliamentary Justice Committee and AK Party MP for Istanbul, announced that hearings on the bill known as the 12th Justice Package will commence on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.

Yüksel noted that during the drafting process, input was sought from judges, public prosecutors, lawyers, academics, Ministry of Justice bureaucrats, and other relevant stakeholders.

The bill proposes the addition of Article 34/a to the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Law No. 2004. According to this provision, amounts awarded by regional courts of first instance and other judicial bodies for attorney fees and litigation costs must be promptly enforced by the administration.

If payment of the awarded amount is not made within one month from the date the creditor or attorney submits a written application to the administration providing their bank account details, enforcement proceedings may be initiated. However, direct initiation of enforcement proceedings without such an application is prohibited.

The bill proposes adding a sentence to the second paragraph of Article 114 of Law No. 2004, stipulating that in cases of co-ownership arising through inheritance, the first public auction shall be limited to the heir(s) who are the legal owners. If no buyer emerges in this first auction among the heirs, the second auction shall be conducted publicly in accordance with general rules.

The proposed amendment to paragraph seven, subsection (6), removes the exemption from depositing a security deposit for co-owners wishing to participate in the sale. Additionally, the bill proposes exempting the Treasury from all security deposit requirements in all auctions.

Bids submitted via the electronic sales portal must exceed fifty percent of the estimated value of the seized property. In cases where the first auction is limited to the heir(s), bids must exceed one hundred percent of the estimated value; in the second auction, bids must exceed either fifty percent of the estimated value or the total amount of claims secured by the property and held by those entitled to priority, whichever is higher.

If the highest bidder fails to pay the auction price within the stipulated period, the deposited security shall not be refunded but shall first be applied toward auction expenses. Additionally, the enforcement office or auction officer shall impose an administrative fine equal to five percent of the bid amount on the highest bidder who fails to pay within the deadline.

The bill proposes amending Article 55 of the Notary Law No. 1512. The amendment aims to facilitate the current practice of transmitting notarial documents and registers to courts, peace criminal courts, public prosecutor’s offices, and other authorized investigative bodies while preserving their confidentiality.

When an authenticated copy of a notarial document is requested, the notary shall scan the original into electronic format, sign it with a secure electronic signature, and transmit the authenticated copy electronically to the relevant authority. No daily fee shall be issued for these procedures, and no fees, taxes, or charges for valuable papers shall be collected, except for postal expenses.

The bill proposes amending the thirteenth and seventeenth paragraphs of the temporary Article 27 of the Council of State Law No. 2575. The Council of State is currently required to reduce its number of chambers to ten no later than 23 July 2026. The bill proposes extending this deadline by four years.

Furthermore, the bill proposes suspending the practice of holding elections to fill vacant seats for two years until 23 July 2030, due to the extended period during which the number of Council of State chambers will not be reduced.^【4】

The bill proposes amending Article 7 of Law No. 2576 to expand the scope of cases that may be decided by a single judge in administrative courts. The monetary threshold specified in the second paragraph is proposed to be changed from its current level to 486,000 Turkish Liras.

Cases challenging administrative acts with a value not exceeding 486,000 Turkish Liras, excluding those against regulatory measures; cases concerning specific actions taken against students; cases challenging temporary assignments, travel allowances, housing, or leave granted to public officials; and cases challenging warnings issued to public officials shall all be adjudicated by a single administrative court judge.

The bill proposes amending the third and fifth paragraphs of Article 45 of the Administrative Procedure Law No. 2577. The amendment proposes that when a decision is legally sound but the reasoning provided is found to be incorrect or incomplete, the Regional Administrative Court may issue a decision correcting the reasoning without annulling the decision, thereby rejecting the appeal.

The proposed amendment to the fifth paragraph redefines the circumstances under which a Regional Administrative Court may remand a case to the first-instance court. Additionally, the bill proposes allowing the Regional Administrative Court to rectify omissions itself—such as failure to conduct an expert examination or hearing—without remanding the case, and issue a decision directly.

The bill proposes amending Article 46 of Law No. 2577. In accordance with the Constitutional Court’s decision dated 27 March 2025, numbered E: 2024/189, K: 2025/83, decisions issued by Regional Administrative Courts upon reconsideration following an annulment ruling may, as a general rule, be appealed to the Council of State within thirty days from the date of notification.

However, appeals to the Council of State shall not be permitted in cases decided by a single judge in administrative or tax courts; cases arising under Law No. 4081 on the Protection of Farmers’ Goods; Law No. 3091 on the Prevention of Encroachments on Real Property Rights; and Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection; and cases concerning only attorney fees and litigation costs, even if the decision has been reconsidered following an annulment.

The bill proposes reorganizing the title and content of the repealed Article 26 of Law No. 2659 on Certain Regulations Concerning the Forensic Medicine Institution. In light of the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision dated 8 October 2025, numbered E: 2024/214, K: 2025/197, the bill proposes requiring candidates appointed to the Forensic Medicine Specialization Board as chair or member to hold at least a specialization certificate in medicine or dentistry or a doctoral degree in their field.

Additionally, the bill proposes setting the term of office for the chair and members of the Forensic Medicine Specialization Board, as well as for group and division heads, at four years.^【5】

The bill amends Article 10 of Law No. 2802 on Judges and Prosecutors. In light of the Constitutional Court’s decision dated 10 July 2025, numbered E: 2022/107, K: 2025/146, the procedures and principles for training and examinations to be conducted by the Türkiye Justice Academy have been defined.

Judicial and prosecutorial assistants, as well as administrative court assistants, shall receive training in constitutional and human rights law, criminal law, private law, administrative law, tax law, procedural law, court management, drafting reasoned decisions, administration and oversight of justice services, international organizations and treaties, frequently encountered cases, and personal development. Written examinations shall be graded on a scale of 100 points.

The bill amends Article 63 of Law No. 2802 to explicitly stipulate that a warning shall be issued to judges and prosecutors who refer matters to experts when such matters can be resolved using their own legal expertise.

The bill amends Article 1 of Law No. 3095 on Legal and Default Interest Rates. In compliance with the reasoning of the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision dated 22 July 2025, numbered E: 2024/24, K: 2025/164, where the amount of interest is not specified in the contract, interest shall be calculated at eighty percent of the discount rate applied by the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye for short-term credit operations as of 31 December of the previous year, on an annual basis.

The bill amends Articles 440 and 444 of the Turkish Civil Code No. 4721. It proposes enabling the electronic sale of movable and immovable property belonging to persons under guardianship via an integrated electronic sales portal on the National Judiciary Network, thereby eliminating physical location restrictions and allowing broader public participation. These provisions concerning the sale of property under guardianship shall enter into force three months after publication.^【6】

The bill amends Article 80 of the Criminal Procedure Code No. 5271. Following the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision dated 25 December 2025, numbered E: 2025/141, K: 2025/274, clear regulations are planned regarding the storage, duration, destruction process, and purposes of use of molecular genetic examination results.

Results shall be recorded in a dedicated system without personal identifiers. Information stored in the system or preserved as evidence in case files shall be destroyed immediately upon a decision of non-prosecution, rejection of an objection, acquittal, or determination of no grounds for punishment becoming final. In other cases, destruction shall occur twenty years after the finalization of the court decision, in the presence of the public prosecutor.

The bill proposes the reorganization of Article 134 of Law No. 5271. In accordance with the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision dated 12 February 2026, numbered E: 2023/128, K: 2026/36, data obtained through this measure shall be stored under judicial custody.

It is proposed that data stored under judicial custody be destroyed in the presence of the public prosecutor fifteen years after the decision of non-prosecution or the finalization of the court ruling.

The bill amends paragraphs five through fourteen of Article 231 of Law No. 5271. Following the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision dated 10 July 2025, numbered E: 2024/98, K: 2025/149, the provisions on postponement of judgment announcement shall no longer apply to offenses of torture and ill-treatment, or to offenses committed by public officials in the course of their duties that may be considered cruel treatment under Article 17 of the Constitution.

The bill proposes amending paragraphs five through fourteen of Article 231 of Law No. 5271. Following the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision dated 10 July 2025, numbered E: 2024/98, K: 2025/149, it is proposed that the provisions on postponement of judgment announcement shall not apply to offenses of torture and ill-treatment, or to offenses committed by public officials in the course of their duties that may be considered cruel treatment under Article 17 of the Constitution.

The bill proposes amending the third paragraph of Article 247 of Law No. 5271. In accordance with the Constitutional Court’s decision numbered E: 2024/98, K: 2025/149, it is planned that when a security measure is ordered against a fugitive defendant, the defendant shall be granted the right to request a retrial, provided they personally appear and declare their intention to exercise their right to defense.

The bill proposes adding new paragraphs to Article 55 of the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098. It introduces the principle that interest at the legal rate shall be applied to the total amount of compensation calculated based on the period during which income was known, from the date the unlawful act or damage occurred; and to the total amount of compensation calculated based on the period during which income was unknown, from the date of the court decision.

Additionally, any amount paid toward these compensations prior to the initiation of enforcement proceedings shall be offset proportionally against the compensation amount determined as of the payment date.^【7】

The bill proposes abolishing the action for uncertain claims as regulated in Article 107 of the Code of Civil Procedure No. 6100. A new paragraph is proposed to be added to Article 109, permitting the claimant to increase the amount claimed in the same proceeding up until the conclusion of the investigation, without being subject to the prohibition on expanding the claim once, and stipulating that the statute of limitations shall be deemed interrupted as of the date of filing for the increased portion.

The bill proposes adding a paragraph to Article 147 of Law No. 6100. It stipulates that the interval between hearings shall not exceed three months. However, in cases of necessity such as prolonged expert examination or procedural investigations by summons, the judge may determine a longer period provided that the reasons are clearly stated.

The bill proposes adding a paragraph to Article 149 of Law No. 6100. According to the amendment, the rules concerning handwritten signatures shall not apply to persons permitted to participate in hearings via audio and video transmission, except in cases of admission, oath-taking, consent to withdrawal of the case, renunciation of the claim, acceptance of the claim, or settlement.

It is proposed that this provision shall enter into force three months after publication if the bill is adopted and enacted into law.

The bill proposes amending the second sentence of the first paragraph of Article 166 of Law No. 6100. In accordance with the Constitutional Court’s annulment decision dated 17 June 2025, numbered E: 2024/237, K: 2025/137, it is stipulated that the consolidation decision shall be binding only from the date it becomes final in the court where the original case was filed.

The proposed amendment to Article 168 stipulates that appeals against consolidation decisions rendered by courts of the same level and jurisdiction within the same judicial circuit shall be limited to the appeal route only.

The bill proposes adding a paragraph to Article 362 of Law No. 6100. It stipulates that a decision issued by a Regional Court of First Instance upon partial or full acceptance of an appeal may be appealed to the Court of Cassation if the amount or value exceeds the monetary threshold set in the second paragraph of Article 341.

The proposed addition to Article 371 stipulates that decisions rendered by first-instance courts may not be annulled solely on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction or incompetence, except when such decisions are issued by Regional Courts of First Instance acting in their capacity as first-instance courts.^【8】

A provision is planned to be added to Article 158 of the Turkish Penal Code (TPC) to regulate the sharing of account information with others for unlawful gain, and to include this amendment in the 12th Justice Package.

A new paragraph will be added to Article 158 of the TPC as a standalone provision. Instead of the existing penalty for “qualified fraud,” which carries a prison term of three to ten years, a new penalty will be imposed under the new provision.

If the work is completed, the amendment will be introduced via a motion during the hearing in the Parliamentary Justice Committee or at the plenary session.

According to the bill’s entry into force provision: Article 4 shall enter into force on 23 July 2026; Articles 12, 13, and 23 shall enter into force three months after publication; and all other articles shall enter into force upon publication.

If the bill is adopted and enacted into law, its provisions shall be implemented by the President of the Republic.