Oruç AYGÜN — Founding Partner & Attorney at Law
Criminal Defense, White-Collar Crime & Financial Crime Litigation in Turkey
Oruç Aygün is a Founding Partner of Istanbul Attorneys (Lexin Legal) and leads the firm's criminal defense and white-collar crime practice. He represents foreign nationals, corporate executives, and multinational companies facing investigations, prosecutions, and complex litigation under Turkish criminal law.
His work concentrates on the highest-stakes cases foreigners encounter in Turkey: financial crime allegations against executives, Interpol Red Notice defense, money laundering and MASAK compliance disputes, tax evasion proceedings under VUK 359, cyber-fraud cases under TCK 243-245, and the cross-border enforcement issues that follow. He intervenes early — often before formal charges — to shape the investigation rather than react to it.
Oruç works primarily in Turkish, with working English for international client communication. The substantive defense work, court filings, and prosecutor negotiations all take place in Turkish, where mastery of procedural language and local court culture decides outcomes.
Practice Areas
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Criminal Defense — Investigation defense, prosecutor negotiations, trial advocacy at Turkish courts
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White-Collar Crime — Executive liability, corporate criminal exposure, internal investigations
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Financial Crime — Fraud (TCK 157-159), embezzlement (TCK 155), forgery (TCK 204-212)
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Cyber Crime & Digital Fraud — TCK 243-245 defense, banking-related cyber-fraud (TCK 158/1-f)
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Tax Evasion Defense — VUK 359 proceedings, criminal-tax interface
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Money Laundering & MASAK Compliance — TCK 282 defense, AML investigation response
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Interpol Red Notice Defense — Extradition law, Red Notice removal, cross-border defense
Education
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Bachelor of Laws (LL.B), Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University
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Bachelor of International Relations, Istanbul University (in progress)
Bar Admission & Memberships
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Member of the Istanbul Bar Association — Registration No. 83427
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Member of the Union of Turkish Bar Associations (Türkiye Barolar Birliği)
Languages
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Turkish — native
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English — working proficiency for client communication
Approach
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Criminal defense in Turkey rewards two things: precise reading of the file and intervention at the right moment. Oruç's practice begins with the principle that most criminal outcomes are decided in the first weeks — at the prosecutor's office, in early procedural filings, in the choice of which witnesses to confront and which to leave alone — long before trial.
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For foreign clients, this means an honest first conversation: what the prosecutor actually has, what is reachable through proper procedural objections, what cannot be undone, and what the realistic outcome looks like at each stage. Defense strategy is not built on optimism. It is built on the file.
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Every case is handled with the understanding that for international clients, a Turkish criminal proceeding is not just a legal problem — it is a constraint on travel, business, and reputation. The work is to lift that constraint as quickly and completely as the file allows.
Recent Insights
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"Money Laundering & MASAK Compliance in Turkey"
→ https://www.istanbulattorneys.com/post/money-laundering-masak-compliance-turkey -
"Cyber Crime & Digital Fraud in Turkey: TCK 243-245 Defense"
→ https://www.istanbulattorneys.com/post/cyber-crime-digital-fraud-turkey -
"White-Collar Crime & Executive Liability in Turkey"
→ https://www.istanbulattorneys.com/post/white-collar-crime-executive-liability-turkey -
"Interpol Red Notice Defense in Turkey"
→ https://www.istanbulattorneys.com/post/interpol-red-notice-defense-turkey -
"Tax Evasion in Turkey: Criminal Liability Under VUK 359"
→ https://www.istanbulattorneys.com/post/tax-evasion-turkey-vuk-359
Contact
Protecting your investments and legal rights in Turkey demands experienced, decisive legal action. Contact Oruç Aygün directly to schedule a comprehensive consultation and secure the expert guidance necessary for your endeavors in Turkey.